


Saltwater Scars

by CourtoftheDragon



Category: Game Grumps, Ninja Sex Party - Fandom, Real Person Fiction, Youtubers
Genre: "You" means cis fem, (I know they're traditionally different), (I use terms siren/mermaid sort of interchangeably), Angst, Athletes, Comfort/Angst, Drama, Drama & Romance, F/M, Fantasy, Gen, I also can't do summaries, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Ocean, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Physical Disability, References to Depression, Siren!You, Sirens, mermaid, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-14
Updated: 2018-09-18
Packaged: 2018-12-29 17:31:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 30,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12089904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CourtoftheDragon/pseuds/CourtoftheDragon
Summary: A year ago, an accident off the coast of California left Dan with a broken heart. After returning to the beach, he finds you, battered and needing a place to stay. As you get to know each other, you both might find that along with the new magic you've brought to the shore, there may be more to the relationship than what's swimming above the surface.*ON HIATUS - SEE ANNOUNCEMENT(Hiatus is now indefinite - sorry everyone)





	1. Intro

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! Court of the Dragon here. I’ve had other Grump story ideas floating around in my head and this one stuck out to me a couple days ago, so I thought I’d go with the flow. I had a few different ideas on how to execute it but I think I’m gonna keep it as a DanxYou pairing, with You!Siren (assuming “You” as cis female). I don’t know if this one is going to be long or short, or how often I’ll work on it. I also don’t know if it’s going to include sexy scenes or not…I haven’t tried writing that sort of thing yet! But it should include at least some romance and much drama. I know there’s been lots of Siren!Dan written, I dunno if this will include that or not. I wanted to do something a little bit different than the usual fics. Also the “You” in this story is actually kinda OCish and I hope that’s okay. (There will also be at least 1 other OC too.) I already have general plot ideas down. Well, let’s see where this goes!
> 
> I’ll update tags and things as I go. I hope you like this one! Thanks for following! <3 Here’s the first look.

~~~

 

Dan didn’t know why he drove back to the beach that evening. He decided it must have been some type of self punishment as he parked his Nissan in the lot and shut it off, staring out past his windshield at the black ocean before him.

 

Normally he wouldn’t be one to dwell on the negative for too long, but the tightness in his chest had him cornered today. He felt even tenser in his seat as rain poured heavily outside, strong winds rocking the Murano back and forth.

 

A car passed on the road behind him, its headlights hitting one of the many yellow signs sticking up from the sand all over the beach. It depicted three silhouetted shapes of different sharks. The warnings had been placed everywhere since sightings had dramatically risen in the previous year…

 

Even as Dan made the decision to drive out West this late instead of just going home to his warm, dry bed, the car radio spouted dangerous weather stats, high winds, storms unusual for the current season. The universe seemed to be raising its caution tape at him.

 

(What are you doing here? Leave. Don’t come back.)

 

But Dan was already here. And just as he was getting ready for all the old, sour feelings of regret to wash over him again and again, a loud splashing in the distance grabbed his attention.

 

In the heavy rain, Dan’s eyes could glimpse white flashes of water, dark shapes wrestling each other somewhere between the shore and the end of the pier. He watched them intently, blowing out a breath he’d been holding. This was a prime example of why he was afraid of the beasts of the ocean. ~They just come out of nowhere and frenzy…Jesus…~

 

Another splash from the North occurred; another shape joined the supposed fight. Around them the wind picked up; the waves began to rise higher and roll out against the shore. Large amounts of debris were washing up: various plastic containers and large driftwood.

 

The crashing shapes moved with the waves as they fought. Distracted from his previous woes, Dan was just curious enough to turn on his headlights to watch the show. He noticed a few things that confused him.

 

Between the shapes, there was a large flash of color- crimson that shone against the moonlight like polished metal. The shapes tumbled again in the aggravated waters and Dan thought he saw a synthetic-looking bright blue. Before he could focus on it, a large wave crashed against the shapes. Suddenly, the splashing stopped.

 

Dan sat back and folded his arms. ~The fight must be over,~ he absently thought. But then he saw the flash of blue again, caught up in another large wave. It forcefully hit the shore and was deposited in the sand with more trash. Despite the rain, Dan could see the object better now that it was close.

 

The blue, plastic tarp was wrapped around something large. Dan felt the blood leave his face when he realized there was long hair sprawled out across the sand, coming from one end of the tarp. His eyes widened. ~Hair…human hair! Oh God, it’s a body!~

 

A flurry of questions and fears rose in Dan’s mind. Did he just watch a person get attacked by sharks?! Were they already dead?? What should he do- call the police? Were they still alive? Fuck, what was he supposed to do?!

 

An icy coldness in Dan’s chest locked him in his seat a moment as he stared out. This was all too familiar, all too real…he should go. He really needed to go. Five minutes ago. Dammit, why did he come out here?!

 

And then there was another tiny part of his mind that nudged him. It said the words that he knew he wouldn’t be able to argue with this time.

 

(Just do it. Do what you weren’t brave enough to do before. Go, GO! NOW!)

 

Dan threw his car door open and practically jumped out. He gasped- the wind and rain were stronger than he had anticipated. He held onto his car for a moment as the wind pushed against him, his clothing immediately soaked through by buckets of flying water. Before he could change his mind, the wind tugged him forward and he found himself scrambling down the beach towards the tarp.

 

Dan ran over to it and knelt down. He glimpsed some skin…an ear, underneath the hair. He gulped and after a moment of thinking that he didn’t actually know CPR or any life saving skills, he pulled back the tarp to reveal the top of what was underneath.

 

It was a young woman, probably in her twenties. She was completely battered; her face was bruised and cut, one of her eyes swollen, blackened. He shook her and tried to wake her, but she was out cold. She was breathing, but her breaths were uneven and raspy. Dan’s eyes drifted down to her neck and saw the reason why- there were deep open gashes along the sides of her neck. ~Fuck!~ Dan reached up to immediately hold them shut to stop supposed bleeding when something peculiar happened. As his hands came in contact with them, the gashes immediately sealed shut. Dan blinked in confusion. “W-what?” His hand traced along the pale lines that remained instead. “What the hell?”

 

He needed to find out the real damage so he could get her to a hospital, and fast. Slowly and carefully, Dan pulled the rest of the tarp off her body.

 

From the neck down, the girl’s breasts and sections of her torso and arms were completely covered in…scales? ~Red scales,~ Dan thought, his mouth opening in surprise. And down where her legs should have been, there was a long, crimson, fishy tailfin. Dan almost rolled his eyes. ~She came out here to play mermaid this late, alone, in a storm?~ But as he reached out to the costume to pull it down to inspect the damage to the rest of her body, he widened his eyes.

 

The “costume” wouldn’t budge. It was very solid, like muscle…the scales slimy and hard. And between them, there were gashes here and there. When Dan lifted his hand from them, he saw fresh, sticky blood.

 

He paused for a moment. Then he cautiously touched the end of the tail fin. It reflexively flipped towards him, splashing him with water. Dan cried out in surprise and fell backward in the sand.

 

~It’s…real. Holy shit, this fin is real!~ This mermaid is real. Dan just stared at the girl with his mouth open, completely shocked. Rain continued to pour down on them both, unrelenting.

 

The strange day began with a storm, and ended with a storm…and a surprise.


	2. Familiar

All your senses began to awaken one by one, but it was the strong scent of lavender that caused you to open your eyes. They were sticky with dry salt, your vision blurry as you tried to adjust to the darkness. As you became aware of everything around you, it was as though the volume of the world was being turned up.

 

You were sitting in a bathtub filled with lukewarm water; a rather large one, at that. There was a pillow beneath your head against the back wall and edge of the tub. You shifted to sit up and winced, feeling all of the aches and pains of your night activities. You realized that one of your eyes was swollen. You took in deep breaths. It had been a while since you’d breathed much above water…you cleared your throat several times, looking around.

 

The large bathroom was coincidentally beach themed, with waves on the wallpaper and a cold, tile floor designed to look like sand. A long counter and mirror with the toilet and sink were against the opposite wall. The counter was covered in all the usual necessities (hair products, brushes, razors, deodorant, toothbrushes, etc) and the musky scent you caught in the air told you they were intended for a man. ~Great, somebody kidnapped me…fantastic…~ You grumbled nervously, looking for anything in the room that you could use as a weapon, other than your own devices. Your eyes adjusted to see your reflection in the mirror and you realized how bad the damage was- your face was a bruised mess, your hair in unusual tangles.

 

You’d have to patch yourself up. But first, a possible weapon. You listened intently a moment before carefully lifting yourself out of the tub and to the floor as to not cause much noise, slowly lowering your torso and fin to the tile. Then you scooted yourself across the floor to the counter. You began to open the cabinets and drawers to search for something useful.

 

After a few minutes, your muffled ears began to pick up more sound. What you’d confused as something like tinnitus turned out to be a white noise coming from a room somewhere below you. The sound of falling water. ~The abductor’s taking a shower?~ Maybe that would buy you a little time.

 

You stopped your search and leaned back against the cabinets. You closed your eyes, brows furrowed. You began to cry. You lifted a webbed hand to catch the falling tears in your palm and using the opposite hand, began to smear them across your face and open wounds.

 

Mermaid tears had magical, medicinal properties. They could heal most wounds, although they could also have adverse affects when applied to humans. They had a thick, syrupy consistency and in the light, they shone with a brilliant, rainbow iridescence. If they were left out in the sun, they could harden; sailors and fishermen often mistook them as opal or rough diamond.

 

Your external wounds were healing, but you still felt exhausted. To your growing discomfort, the atmospheric pressure changes were also beginning to give you a headache. You sighed, leaning back against the wall.

 

You heard the water shut off downstairs, felt the vibrations in the floor of someone walking around. As you lifted a hand to your throbbing head, you heard a melody being sung by a gentle, male voice.

 

[Welcome to your life

There’s no turning back

Even while we sleep

We will find you, acting on your best behavior

Turn your back on Mother Nature

Everybody wants to rule the world…]

 

You froze for a moment. You hadn’t heard above-surface music for weeks, at least…but there was something really familiar about the sound that you couldn’t immediately put your finger on with the distracting headache.

 

Suddenly feeling desperate, you began to dig through the drawers. ~Come on, there’s gotta be something else…~

 

Your heart rate picked up when you heard the footsteps coming up the stairs. You froze again when they stopped somewhere on the other side of the door. There was a moment of silence. You could practically feel the eyes on you already.

 

You withdrew your hand from the drawer, but too hastily- some items fell out, crashing to the floor. ~Fuck!~ You shouted in your head. Out of good options, you pinned yourself against the opposite wall, your tail fin out in front of you defensively. You hid a hand behind your back and felt as its nails elongated into dark, razor sharp claws. You held your breath and stared at the door, heart thumping against your chest.

 

After another moment of silence, the door cautiously opened. A tall, lanky, bushy-haired silhouette stood, peering into the darkness. He reached out and slowly switched on the light.

 

Your face scrunched up as the harsh brightness hit your eyes, blinking several times. Then you squinted at the man in the doorway.

 

You widened your eyes. An audible gasp escaped you.

 

No way. No fucking way.

 

~This isn’t real.~

 

But it was.

 

Of all the people living in California, “He” was the one that found you.


	3. Hello

Dan had been having a pretty shitty day. It wasn’t exactly the events that had ruined it, but instead a stubborn, recurring nightmare that had awoken him again sometime before the sun had risen. It was the kind that left you paralyzed; he had been stuck staring at his ceiling for five minutes as he hyperventilated, trying not to have a full on panic attack. When he realized that he could move and he wasn’t actually inhaling water, he groaned, rolling onto his side.

The rest of the day had gone by ordinarily. He went for his morning run and drank jasmine tea afterwards. He went to the office and recorded a few Grump episodes with Arin. His jokes were falling flat, and Arin had an idea of what was wrong, but knew better by now than to press the issue. When they were finished, Dan even had the willpower to call Brian up and bounce a few light song ideas off him.

It had been a few months since they had recorded music videos for Under the Covers 2, and they still had at least a couple songs to fully complete. But ever since the events of last year, it was harder than usual for Dan to concentrate on his career. So he had asked Brian for more time off to try and get himself together. Brian sympathetically agreed.

But sooner or later, work had to be done, people had to get paid. And they still needed to finish the next Starbomb album too…

Worries flooded Dan’s mind as he drove to a local Starbucks after a long day of recording.

He wasn’t ready to go home just yet- there were too many memories there that he didn’t want to think about right now. He would’ve been alone anyway; Barry had taken a weekend trip up North to meet his new girlfriend’s family in Seattle. Dan was normally solitary when he felt down but sometimes, it was nicer to be in a crowd, in the company of strangers.

Even though he had spent a few hours dicking around on Reddit and sifting through his work emails, any possible improvement to his mood went right out the window when he accidentally swiped the photo gallery on his phone while he was replying to a text.

All it took was one glance for a split second. Her bright eyes and smile. Her hand tightly wrapped around his. Her happiness-

Dan clicked the screen off immediately, cursing under his breath and pocketing the phone, closing his eyes. He berated himself in his mind, over and over. “This is ridiculous…~ He needed to start being stronger than this. He needed to move forward. ~It’s just a fucking picture.~

If only that were true.

~

Time passed quickly after that- the lights in the café dimmed and an adolescent employee approached him to let him know they were closing. Dan blinked and looked around; he was the only person left inside. He murmured an apology and walked out with his laptop bag slung over his shoulder.

Dan recognized this as the point when he should have just gone home. But his heart was getting heavier by the minute as he drove across LA. Specks of rainwater began to hit the windshield.

Logic had left the equation as he drove farther and farther West and let his mind wander. Suddenly, he found himself in the parking lot of the beach. The place where everything had gone incredibly wrong…

~

Now Dan was working with a tired, one track mind. The only thing that made sense to him in this particular moment was that he needed to get this mermaid somewhere safe, and this beach in the middle of a storm clearly wasn’t the right place.

The next fifteen minutes tested his upper body and lower back strength as he took her underneath her arms and pulled her across the sand back up to his car. Her tailfin was a lot heavier than it looked. ~It must be almost pure muscle,~ he thought to himself as he has her up against the side of his car. Despite the heavy rain and wind, he managed to get the car door open and lay out two blankets he had in the back across the seats. He lifted her into the back and lay her down across the blankets, then got back into the driver’s seat.

Dan sat there a moment, wiping some of the freezing water from his face and hair. He looked back at her in the rearview mirror. Her chest was gently rising and falling but she otherwise didn’t stir. He turned on the car and began to drive.

~I have an actual, real life mermaid. Jesus Christ.~

~

The weather wasn’t nearly as bad when Dan parked in his driveway about an hour later. He carried his new, fishy guest in the blankets as he pulled them across the lawn and into his house.

It was pleasantly warm indoors. Dan didn’t want to track water and sand everywhere so he stripped down to his boxers and walked into a guest bathroom on the first floor. It had a tub-shower combo, but he doubted the girl could fit into it completely. He left his soaked clothes on the bathroom floor and walked back out.

“Guess you get to use the Whirlpool,” he whispered to the sleeping mermaid. He began the arduous task of pulling her up the stairs while she was still in the blanket. Dan flushed and felt awkward a moment; he could only imagine how bad this would look if the neighbors could see inside his house.

Dan had his own bathroom adjoined to his bedroom. He pulled his guest inside and let her continue to rest on the blanket as he began to fill the large, oval tub with warm water. ~Does she need salt water?~ he wondered to himself. All he had was scented Epsom salt…he figured it probably couldn’t hurt, at least. He grabbed the lavender salt from a cabinet and poured a generous amount into the water.

Once the tub was full, Dan used what was left of his strength to lift the mermaid up and into the water. He noticed that has he did so, a few more scarlet scales sprouted up on her chest and neck with small fins on her outer arms. ~Whoah.~ They had a mesmerizing, golden shimmer to them beneath the light.

Finally, Dan grabbed a pillow from his bedroom closet and rested her head atop it on the edge of the tub.

Dan wasn’t exactly sure what he should do now. He sat on the floor against the cabinets, his arms folded across his bent knees as he watched the girl. His mind was flooding with questions. Who was she? Where did she come from? Were there other mermaids too? Dan looked at her swollen eye and felt a pang of guilt- he didn’t have anything like a first aid kit in the house. But she looked relatively peaceful as she slept. How would she react when she awoke? ~She’ll probably be scared,~ Dan thought. ~What if she attacks me? She could have powers…~ Dan vaguely wondered if she was magical. ~Maybe she can sing…lure me to her…and snap my neck…~

But that was hard to believe as Dan watched her sleep. Her fin looked strong, but she seemed somewhat delicate. ~Almost human…~

Before Dan could wonder any longer, the smell of lavender made his thoughts fuzzy. He slumped over, drifting off to sleep.

~

Dan awoke a few hours later to the light sound of splashing water. He blinked and was once again facing the mermaid. She was still asleep, her face and one arm across the pillow as her tail flickered in the water. Dan sat up abruptly and had a moment of shock before his memory rushed back. ~Oh…right.~

The door to his bedroom was open and his alarm clock read 5:24. Dan watched the girl for a moment. ~She’s still pretty out.~ He would’ve been too, if he’d fought off a shark…

Before Dan could think properly about the given situation, he figured he could use a shower. He left the room and quietly shut the lights off and closed the door.

~

Dan began to plan ahead as he stood underneath the shower water. ~Once she wakes up, I’ll just…introduce myself…and then…~ Well, that was as far as he got. He also thought about whether or not he should tell his friends right away about his new company.

A soft thud from the ceiling above him interrupted the thought, and he looked up. ~Maybe she’s awake?~ Dan quickly finished washing and stepped out a few minutes later. He began to sing to himself as he toweled off and got dressed in another pair of jeans and his Nightrunner tee. It was to calm himself down, but also partially for her benefit, if she could hear him. He didn’t want to completely startle her upon meeting her.

Dan trudged slowly up the stairs back to his room. He realized just how nervous he was when he paused, staring at the bathroom door. A clatter from the other side surprised him, and he gulped. ~Here goes something…~

Dan carefully opened the bathroom door and switched on the light. 

There were just a few stray items scattered on the floor from one of the open drawers. And across from him against the wall, the mermaid stared up at him and loudly gasped.

Dan’s jaw almost dropped when he saw her. All of her wounds had somehow healed. Although it was tangled, her flowing hair shone brilliantly underneath the lights, similar to her scales. The most enthralling thing about her were her eyes, a bright aquamarine color that stood out most from the rest of her. Dan didn’t know if she was magical or if it was all natural wonder but he couldn’t help but blush. ~Wow. She’s gorgeous…~

But she was also currently terrified of him. Dan cleared his throat and put his hands up. “Ah, uh…it’s okay! I’m not going to hurt you, I promise!” When the girl just continued to stare up at him, Dan stumbled across his next words. “I, uh…I’m Dan. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you…” He lowered his hands and slowly took a few steps towards her. “I, uh…I found you off the coast of Malibu last night. You were really hurt, so I thought I’d try to help you…but maybe you didn’t actually need it…” Dan’s voice drifted off and he began to feel more foolish by the second.

Then the girl spoke up, her voice soft and sweet. “…Dan?” she said, looking up at him. She lowered her fin to the floor. And then it was his turn to be surprised when her face suddenly flushed red. Was she embarrassed about something?

Dan gave her a smile that he hoped was reassuring. “Yeah, that’s my name,” he said softly. He moved a little closer to her and crouched down so he was at eye level with her. ~Guess I should start slow.~ “Do you have a name?”

The girl paused for a moment, looking away. She seemed to be deciding something before she answered. “…Mae.”

“May?”

“Em, Aye, Ee. Mae.”

The spelling was odd, but she seemed to understand him well enough. “Okay. Nice to meet you, Mae. Um, welcome to my house,” Dan said sheepishly. He held out a hand to her in greeting, although his was shaking a little. Mae looked down at it, a perplexed look on her face. Then she pressed a webbed hand to Dan’s in an awkward handshake. Dan smiled at the response but then frowned in concern when he noticed she was wincing. “Hey, are you okay?”

Mae nodded and withdrew her hand, putting a finger up to her temple. “Yes, just…have a little headache. From the…air pressure. And senses,” she explained, her voice a little hoarse.

“Oh. I’m sorry.” Dan wasn’t sure what else to say to that, although it kind of made sense if she was from deep down in the ocean. Dan figured he’d better start explaining things. “So, uh…we are inland, a little North of Los Angeles right now. Do you know where that is?”

Mae thought a moment. “…California.”

“Right. Um, so last night…there was a bad storm, at Surf Rider Beach, in Malibu. That’s where I found you. You were caught in some plastic covering, you were really injured…” Dan’s eyes looked over her face again in slight amazement. Then he remembered the attack. “I think you were fighting something in the water...?”

Mae nodded, sitting up a little. She seemed to be relaxing a bit more now as she recalled last night. “Yeah…there were two sharks.”

“Two of them?” And she came out alive? “Wow. That’s pretty intense.” Completely terrifying.

Mae nodded. “A bull shark was caught in a fishing tarp.” When Mae saw the look of fright in Dan’s eyes, she quickly added, “He was just scared. A hammerhead came just to see what was going on. He could smell the blood…”

Dan shuddered. He knew at least a little about bull sharks. If they wanted to, they could tear you limb from limb.

“But the waves broke us up before anyone got really aggressive,” Mae finished explaining. “I guess I just got too tired after that…”

Dan was more than amazed. He was talking to a real mermaid. A mermaid who understood him, who was talking about fighting sharks as if it were nothing. But he looked at her with growing concern. “Okay. So…uh…are you going to be alright now?” he asked with uncertainty. Did he make the right decision, bringing her here? “I guess I’m asking…should I have just left you there? I mean…I’m really sorry for moving you...”

Now it was Mae’s turn to look surprised. Her eyes looked Dan up and down. Reading him. After a moment, she spoke. “You’re…apologizing for saving me?”

Dan gulped, his face flushing pink again. He sat down on the floor now across from her, crossing his legs. “Well, I mean…your home is somewhere out there, right?”

Mae shrugged, and Dan thought he caught a hint of sadness in her eyes. “More or less, yeah. Out in the Pacific.”

“Are there other mermaids? …Do you have family out there who’d be worried about you?” Dan asked, the thought suddenly dawning on him, twisting his insides around.

But Mae shrugged. “Yeah, there are other merpeople…but I’m by myself,” she said with some finality.

~And what were you doing out there, alone?~ Dan thought to himself, but he intuitively felt that this wasn’t the right question to ask yet. He was out there too, after all. He went another route. “Well, um…I’m sorry again for bringing you here without warning you. I mean, you must be scared, talking to a human…” Dan looked at her intently, gauging her response. He wasn’t even sure what he was trying to say now. He laughed nervously. “It’s just…I’ve never met a mermaid before. I didn’t even know they were real, I thought they were just a myth. I guess…I don’t know the etiquette for talking to one.” Real smooth, Dan.

This response tickled Mae. She chuckled and then suddenly she was bent over, holding her gut as she fell into a fit of laughter. Dan enjoyed the sound; it was bright, like wind chimes, an uplifting sound that trickled down his spine and rested somewhere warmly in his chest. He couldn’t help but giggle along with her. When the laughter died down, he asked with a grin, “What’s so funny?”

“…Etiquette? Mermaid manners?” Mae asked, raising an eyebrow as a smile lit up her face.

Dan flushed in embarrassment. “I’m sorry!” His foot was already in his mouth, but he giggled again, smiling, trying to save face. ~At least I could make her laugh.~ “I just…uh…”

Mae glanced at the tile floor for a moment. When she looked back at Dan, her expression was more serious now, calculating him. “Dan…I’ve never stayed with a human before. Merpeople don’t usually interact with them. But I can trust you…right?” She emphasized every word as she looked him in the eye.

It occurred to Dan as he looked back at her now that yes, she actually was a bit frightened; he caught an icy glimpse of it in her eyes. He nodded slowly, hoping he looked and sounded sincere. “You can trust me, I promise. I just wanted to make sure you were okay…um…but I understand if you don’t want to be here…and-“

“I’ll stay the night,” Mae interrupted. She gave him a small smile as she sat up, her tail casually flicking back and forth. She placed her hands in her lap as she relaxed a bit more. “It’s true that I feel a lot better now, but a day of rest after arguing with two sharks doesn’t sound unreasonable, right?” she asked with a bright grin.

~This girl…~ “No, it doesn’t at all,” Dan agreed as he leaned against the bathroom cabinets.

Alright, so the mermaid was going to spend an entire day with him. Would he take her back to Malibu in the morning? Dan wasn’t sure if he felt comfortable taking her to that beach in this weather, during shark season. But that concern quickly dropped from his mind when he looked back at the tub, then at her. He could ask all the important questions later; right now, he wanted to be a good host. “So…do you need to be in the water, like, all the time?"

“No, not exactly, although it helps. I just need to stay hydrated. One or two soaks a day would be okay…I mostly just need to drink lots of water…and make sure that my skin and scales don’t completely dry out,” she explained.

~That sounds…unpleasant.~ “Okay. Here, I’ll refill your bath then...don’t want you to get sick…” Dan suddenly stood up, walked over and sat on the edge of the tub to begin draining it.

Dan could feel his growing disbelief attempting to resurface as he watched the water level drop, but he pushed it back down. And then Mae was scooting over to him, watching him with new interest as she leaned against the outside of the tub. “That scent you used before was really nice, by the way. But freshwater is just fine,” she informed him with a small smile, her tail flitting back and forth.

Dan looked away from her in mild embarrassment. “Oh, okay. It’s called lavender. Some people like to use it to help them fall asleep or relax…” He felt his face burning as he focused on the water. “Uh, sorry if I used too much-”

Mae shook her head. “No, no. It was just right.” As Dan plugged the drain and began the refill, her eyes continued to play across his face. Her expression softened quite a bit. “Thank you for this, Dan,” she said gently. “It means a lot…coming from a human.”

Dan gulped as he looked back at her. They just stared at each other a moment. “Yeah, of course,” he answered. He felt something bloom inside his chest. The flowing, warm water rose higher and higher in the tub.

~…What have I gotten into?~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Points if you know what Mae's name is a reference of. :P Thanks for reading!


	4. Politics & Lyrics

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a casual update. (Sorry about weird spacing.) Enjoy!

Mae got resituated in the new bath water as Dan ran downstairs to get her a glass of water. When he returned, she had her head and upper torso submerged completely with her tailfin sticking out the side. He raised an eyebrow and set the glass next to her then sat on the edge of the bath again, looking down at her. She had her eyes squeezed shut. Dan’s eyes widened in wonder when he saw the pale white lines on either side of her neck flutter open again to reveal... ~Not gashes…but gills.~ He curiously watched her a moment before he tapped lightly on her tailfin. “I’m back.”

Her eyes shot open a moment, looking up at him. Then she slowly pushed herself up out of the water. She waited a moment for her gills to close before taking deep breaths, looking over at Dan. “Thanks,” she said, taking the water and downing it almost immediately. She refilled and emptied the glass three more times with the bath faucet, then set it down on the edge of the tub and turned to him.

“You’re head feeling better?” he asked her.

Mae nodded. “A little, yeah. Getting there.”

Dan thought a moment. “So…you can stay in here, if you want. If you’re okay with being out of water, I also have a guest bedroom.” Dan scratched the back of his neck, thinking. “There’s also a pool in the backyard, although it might not be as fun in this weather…”

“I don’t mind the rain at all,” Mae replied with a smile. “…But I guess it would be cold for you.”

“Just a little bit,” Dan said with a smile. “It also needs to be cleaned.” Last Dan checked, it was Barry’s turn to do it…

Oh right, Barry. Dan almost forgot. “Oh, I should tell you, just in case he comes home. I have a roommate.”

Mae raised an eyebrow quizzically. “Roommate?”

“Right. Uh, that means a friend who lives in my house with me. His name is Barry. He’s actually gone for the weekend. But you should know, just in case he comes back early.”

“Okay…”

Dan could see the uneasiness on Mae’s face. He answered before she could ask. “I wasn’t going to tell him about you.” Not right now, anyway…

Mae played with her hands a moment before she looked up. “Are you…gonna tell anyone?” she nervously asked.

 

Dan bit his lip as he looked back at her. It had crossed his mind several times this morning that maybe he should tell Arin, at least. Maybe Spanish. But in seeing the scared look on Mae’s face, he changed his mind. “N-No- you know what? No. It’s nobody else’s business…”

 

Dan’s train of thought was interrupted when his stomach audibly growled. His face flushed. “Ah, sorry…I’m not used to being up so early. Guess I’m kinda hungry…are you hungry too?”

 

Mae nodded. “Yeah, a little.”

 

It was in that moment that Dan realized he hadn’t gone to the store in quite a while. The thought puzzled him a bit. Had he really only been eating take out? How many weeks had it been?

 

But he had some leftovers…he thought. He rubbed his head. “Uh, so the grocery store isn’t open for another couple of hours…but I have a little bit downstairs that we could eat until then…” he said with some uncertainty. “I know there’s leftover chicken, or I could just fry us some eggs…” Dan looked at Mae- the uneasiness on her face said it all. “No good? Can you only eat, like, fish?”

 

“Fish…and maybe other things too,” Mae said thoughtfully.

 

“Yeah?”

 

Mae thought for a moment. “Um…maybe like, some grains…or greens…”

 

“Hmm…” Dan thought about it for a moment, then gave her a greatly apologetic look. “So…as far as fish goes, all I have right now is canned tuna fish, and I could make some rice to go with it, if that’s okay…” ~Great job, Dan. You’re really nailing this whole ‘host’ gig.~ Feeling even more embarrassed by the second, he quickly added, “I’ll get some actual seafood once the stores are open. We can have a real meal later today.”

 

Mae just nodded quietly and politely and watched as Dan stood up. “Okay, so I’ll have to go downstairs for twenty or so minutes to cook for a bit- are you alright waiting up here by yourself?” he asked.

 

Mae gave him a little smile. “I won’t go anywhere,” she said softly.

 

Dan smiled back. “Alright, I’ll be back with something edible.” ~Hopefully.~ Dan left the bathroom, closing the door behind him and heading down to the kitchen.

 

~ ~ ~ ***

 

You were in Dan’s house.

 

Oh my God! Dan Avidan’s house!

 

You had tried to fully process that information but he didn’t give you enough time- suddenly, he was already asking you questions, introducing himself, seeing if you could understand him. Of course, you knew a lot…but that wasn’t the reality you lived in. Not the role you were currently playing. And you thought you knew better than to ignore taking certain precautions with people. After all, Dan was a stranger too, even if he felt like a close friend.

 

When he asked you for your name, you spouted your alias right away. But seeing how nervous he was as he shook your hand greatly surprised you, filled you with increasing guilt.

 

You clearly had a certain, upper hand in the situation, didn’t you?

 

So perhaps you could afford to be just a little honest this time around?

 

So you gave him your story about what happened last night. And then he threw your expectations right out into the water again; suddenly, he was apologizing to you! Wait, what?

 

You should’ve known that Dan would be the one person to treat you so well in this situation. Isn’t that what you’d heard so many times before? That he had a big heart? And you were completely amazed by how much he wasn’t freaking out, given the circumstances.

 

Then another apology was tumbling out of his mouth. And he kept going. You imagined a sudden picture in your head. An image of when he was younger, with short, straight hair and round glasses. You could see the nervous high schooler standing in front of you, leaning against his locker. Mumbling some awkward, half invitation from behind his books. It tickled your insides- you just couldn’t help but laugh. It certainly raised your confidence too. But you still felt compelled to ask him. “..I can trust you, right?”

 

You saw the answer in his warm, chocolate eyes before he looked away, his voice wavering with uncertainty. You had already decided then and there.

 

You would be safe here. For now.

 

As you watched him refill the bath for you, you knew you had to thank him. It was the very least you could do.

 

You owed him so much already. He really had no idea. You felt extremely guilty.

 

But you had to stay.

 

~ ~ ~ ***

 

Dan came back upstairs a short while later with two plates of rice, one with chicken, one tuna, which he apologetically handed over to the mermaid. But she smiled up at him, thanked him and picked at it with her fingers until he offered her a fork.

 

The duo ate in silence for a minute, Dan sitting cross legged on the floor again. He didn’t want to be a creep but he kept his eyes on Mae as he ate in contemplation. Something was deeply bothering him. The more he thought about it, the harder it was for him to believe that this girl was completely alone, mermaid or not…The concern was painted on his face as he asked her, “So…you said you’re by yourself? You really don’t have a family?”

 

Mae took a few minutes to answer. “Well…many merpeople are more…communal, than other groups of people,” she explained, looking up at him. “It’s more like…a single, alternating unit. Everyone looks after each other.”

 

Dan nodded. “Okay, so you’re a part of, like, one big family?” he asked. He read her look again- he noticed her gaze drop. He frowned. “…No? Not anymore?” Her silence confirmed it- he pressed further. “Why?”

 

Mae was thinking deeply again, and he watched patiently as the gears turned in her head. She answered slowly, carefully. “So…there are a lot of mer-societies, spread across the world,” she said, looking him in the eye. “And some mer-societies have, um…laws. I believe humans call that…politics?” Dan raised his eyebrow but let her continue. “So…I was a part of a group near here, in the Western Pacific.” Mae paused again, and Dan could see it clearly on her face- she was deciding exactly what she should say. “Um…do you know what a siren is?” she quietly asked, her tail flicking nervously.

 

Dan widened his eyes, an icy cold feeling playing across his arms. They were certainly getting into interesting territory now. He leaned forward, completely intrigued. “Isn’t it, like…a mermaid that can put people into a trance with her song? And, like…sink ships?”

 

Mae nodded slowly. “Yeah.” She waited a moment before she continued. “So, every mermaid naturally has the ability to use a siren song. But most merpeople agree now that ‘sirening,’ or placing people into trance like that, is not okay to do anymore. Many of us have decided that in the modern world, we don’t really need to…hunt humans to survive. We’re safe enough, keeping to ourselves. So, many mer-societies created their own rules to ban the use of siren song. But, there are actually still groups in the Atlantic that use it…”

 

Dan’s thoughts were beginning to spin- but he nodded politely, listening intently. Mae continued. “The group I was a part of was stricter with their rules than many other groups. They banned singing altogether, in order to protect everyone.”

 

Dan couldn’t help it as a smile played across his lips. “So…what you’re telling me...is that this group kicked you out because you like to sing? Right?” he asked.

 

A worried look crossed Mae’s face. “It’s…more complicated. I do like to sing…” Her brow furrowed deeper. Dan frowned when he saw the desperate look in her eyes. “Listen…I can’t prove it to you, but I promise, I’d never hurt anyone with a siren song, Dan. Not ever.” 

 

Mae’s eyes seemed to be pleading with him. He widened his and found that he believed her. He quickly nodded. “Okay, okay. So, if you’re not in that group anymore, were you going to another one when I found you?”

 

Dan felt like a ball was dropping into his gut when he saw the somber look on Mae’s face. “Maybe…” she mumbled. But when she saw his expression, she smiled. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about me. If you put me back in the water, I’ll find my way. Thank you…for all this.” Mae continued eating, looking down.

 

Dan ate quietly again for a bit with muddled thoughts. ~So…her own family just abandoned her?~ He couldn’t imagine how much that would hurt. But she seemed to be taking it well… ~Maybe merpeople aren’t that emotionally close to each other…~

 

Dan’s thoughts were becoming overwhelmed. Merpeople. They were a thing. There were several…societies, she had even said. And humans really knew nothing about them? Well, except for the historical myths...

 

And then there was Mae, in particular. It seemed like she was a tough cookie who could handle herself, despite her soft demeanor. There seemed to still be a lot he didn’t know about her…but he was a stranger too.

 

But Dan was finding that as he thought about it more and more, he really didn’t like to see her looking so sad. Would she really be alright when they went back to the beach?

 

They’d worry about it later, he supposed. He decided to steer the conversation away from the bleak. “So, other than singing, what else do you like to do for fun?” he asked her.

 

Mae laughed a little at the question. “It sounds boring, but I actually like swimming the most. I like to race.” When she saw Dan’s face light up with a warm smile, she continued. “Uh, I also like to collect things, especially different stones or shells, or things I find…:

 

~A modern Ariel,~ Dan joked in his head.

 

“I also like to read and write a little.”

 

Dan blinked. “Wait, you can read and write underwater?”

 

Mae nodded. “Yeah, we use books and pens, just like humans. The Elders- that is, our leaders, have magic that can protect our books from water damage.”

 

Magic. There was that tingle again, like goosebumps on Dan’s skin. He grinned. “That’s…you’re kind of blowing my mind right now,” he admitted with a light giggle.

 

Mae smiled back. “Sorry.” She pointed at his pocket. “You have magic too.”

 

It took Dan a moment to realize that she meant his phone. He chuckled and took it out of his pocket. “Oh. Yeah, I suppose we do.” He briefly remembered a chat he had with Arin during Game Grumps where he referred to a tablet as “magic paper”.

 

A thousand new questions were popping up in Dan’s mind, and this wonder about the girl was only growing with every question she answered. He wanted to ask her more about her books, but his mind was stuck on the word ‘magic’. It took him back to his childhood, conjuring up images of brave knights, mighty dragons, and powerful wizards. The question tumbled out of his mouth. “So, like, do you know magic spells then?” Mae had a nervous look on her face again as she set the empty plate down on the floor. Dan could feel her hesitancy. “Nevermind, you don’t have to tell me- I get it. Self protection, right? But you can heal yourself…and you have a siren song…”

 

Mae nodded slowly. “Yes.”

 

Dan thinks about that for a minute. Mae was possibly quite dangerous to him- so why didn’t he feel afraid at all? There was something else bubbling up in his stomach instead.

 

Dan admitted to himself that it wasn’t fear. It was excitement, pure and simple. There was also perhaps a tiny, lonely piece of him that was just a little bit aroused by the idea that she could just put him in a trance, at any given time…

 

He found himself blurting out without thinking, “Can you sing me any songs? Just a short one?” He smiled a little and felt his cheeks flush.

 

Mae looked perplexed for a moment but she just chuckled. “Nono, I really can’t. It would make you…weird.” After a moment, she grinned mischievously and looked up. “Why don’t you sing me one instead? Like the one downstairs?”

 

Dan grinned, looking down. “You heard that, huh?” he set his own plate down and fiddled with his hands a moment before looking back up at her. “I’m…actually a professional singer,” he sheepishly admitted.

 

Mae raised an eyebrow. “Profess-ional?”

 

“Yeah, like a job. I do it as a career, for money,” Dan explained.

 

Mae nodded to show she sort of understood those terms. She tilted her head, growing interested. “So...you love it?” she asked him innocently.

 

A warmth filled up Dan’s chest again. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.” He pulled out his phone and began tapping on the screen. “Here…lemme show you my music.”

~ ~ ~

Before Dan could show Mae his music videos, he first had to explain that he was a part of a two-person comedy band called Ninja Sex Party (that worked with other musical artists as well). It took him a few minutes to teach Mae the concept (as well as teach her what a ‘ninja’ even was.) At the end of his brief explanation, she seemed a lot more confused than before, but she politely listened with a smile. He didn’t blame her…he figured he’d let the music explain itself, that maybe that would help her understand the humor of it.

 

But because she heard him singing it downstairs, he wanted to show her Everybody Wants to Rule the World first. He brought up the music video on his phone and carefully placed it in her webbed hands as she leaned out of the tub, seemingly entranced by the screen.

 

A bright smile lit up her face when the video started. But before the music really came on, she was pausing it every few seconds, suddenly bombarding him with questions. (“This is your band? Are these your friends? Why are they dressed like mechanical men? That one is a ‘cat,’ right? Who is this? And this? …is that a Unicorn robe?)

 

Dan giggled and very patiently introduced Mae to Brian and all the members of TWRP and then she actually watched the video all the way through. He watched her expression, which was beaming the entire time, with the occasional wind-chime laughter that tickled his spine again. When the video ended, she giggled, grinning. “That was wonderful! It looked like you were having so much fun with your friends. And your voice is beautiful, Dan!” Dan felt his face get hot; he gulped as the mermaid handed him the phone back. “Did you write that song?”

 

Dan felt himself stammering. “N-no, it’s a cover of another song, actually. It was originally done by a band called Tears for Fears. My band does a lot of song remakes…here, I’ll show you another.”

 

Next, Dan brought up the video for Take on Me and handed Mae the screen again, which she gave her full attention. She commented on the lighting and instruments. When she saw Dan’s costume, she laughed aloud. “What are you wearing?! It’s so glittery and pretty!” She smiled at him and he felt his chest light up again. “You would look really good in blue scales,” she casually commented as she continued to watch.

 

Dan wasn’t sure if his face could turn any redder, but bright laughter spilled from his lips as he sat against the tub next to her. “Is that right?” He wasn’t about to show her ‘that’ picture.

 

Now for the comedy videos. Dan started with Dinosaur Laser Fight and explained to Mae that his good friend Arin drew the art for it. Then he showed her a slew of others; Unicorn Wizard, Cool Patrol, 6969, and so on. Sometimes when she seemed confused by some of the meanings, she asked if she could look at the lyrics with him. And as she listened and kept asking him continuous questions, he realized that he was having a good time showing her everything. ~It’s so refreshing to actually meet someone who doesn’t know a thing about me,~ he thought to himself as he explained to her the characters of Danny Sexbang and Ninja Brian.

 

“So, Brian plays a silent, deadly assassin…and you play a handsome ‘ninja’ who saves women so he can sleep with them?” she asked with a laugh.

 

Dan nodded with a grin. “Yeah, that’s the gist of it.”

 

“Human humor really likes to focus on sex and the male genitalia, doesn’t it?” Mae innocently asked.

 

Dan giggled. “Not always, but ours sure does…”

 

Dan let Mae tap on the screen and choose the next songs herself. He was surprised when a serious expression crossed her face. Her brow furrowed a moment, then she turned the screen towards him. She pointed to the outline of a wolf. “What is this?” she genuinely asked.

 

“Oh, that’s an old band I used to be a part of called Skyhill. I have a buddy named Peter that was in it with me…”

 

Mae nodded thoughtfully and clicked on a light blue picture. She listened as the song played.

 

[I woke up, on a wave that crashes, when will the tide return?

And if you leave, with only ashes, can’t rebuild what has been burned…]

 

Dan raised his eyebrow as a strange expression crossed Mae’s face. Before he could read into it further, she had her eyes closed, her tail and body swaying to the song. Sometimes, a smile played across her lips as she ‘danced’. Dan watched her intently, curious as to what she was thinking.

 

When the song was over, she opened her eyes slowly. As if she was waking up from her own trance. Dan asked, “Do you like it?”

 

Mae answered gently. “That was…do you have more of this?”

 

Dan happily nodded, bringing up the full playlist. “Yeah, that was a solo ep that we did really recently…we only have one full album. Here.” He handed her the list.

 

Mae clicked on Hands on the Water next. As soon as the music began to play, her expression filled with wonder. “Oooh…” She smiled at the screen and touched it as the music played. “This is beautiful too…so different…”

 

Dan lightly chuckled. ~She’s like a child…~

 

When the song was over. Mae grinned at Dan. “I really love these. Your voice goes perfectly with the music. And I like the words too. You’re really talented, Dan.”

 

Dan grinned, trying to stay humble but feeling pretty proud of himself. “Perfectly, huh? Thank you, I’m glad you like them…” He looked into her eyes. “You said you like to write too? Maybe you could show me some of your stuff later?”

 

Now it was Mae’s turn to blush- she looked away sheepishly. “Ah, m-maybe…” She turned her attention back to the screen and clicked on another song as a distraction.

 

It started with a strong, steady bassline. Mae closed her eyes again. Dan was beginning to admire the look on her face as she sincerely listened to his life’s work. Something tender continued to stir in his chest.

 

And then something else happened. When the song got to the chorus, Mae slowly opened her eyes. The smiles fell from both of their faces; Dan watched as she strangely stared somewhere off in the distance, away from the screen. And then he was startled as what appeared to be iridescent, diamond-like tears began to spill from her eyes. He gasped a moment and placed his hand on hers. “Ah, Uh, Mae?- Y-you okay?”

 

The girl blinked out of her stupor and noticed as one of the tears fell into the water, sinking to the bottom. In her embarrassment, she looked away. “A-ah, I’m sorry! Yeah, I’m fine! I’m fine.” She forced a smile and wiped away the tears hastily. “I’m sorry…that one just…” She cleared her throat, looking into the tub.

 

Dan pensively thought about her reaction, watching her carefully with growing concern and wonder. ~That one…moves her...~

 

The warmth Dan felt suddenly became heavy and fell into his stomach. The duo sat in silence for a bit. Dan tried hard to look into her eyes, to read her, but she seemed intent on not meeting his gaze now.

 

~…Who are you?~

 

~ ~ ~ ***

 

You were searching for your own meaning, not noticing Dan’s internal struggle. He couldn’t hear it, but you were playing back the lyrics in your head, over and over as you quickly rinsed your face with bath water.

 

[You’d give your life away…vanish without a trace…]

[You’d give your life away…]

 

Run with the hunted.


	5. Powers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! I was finishing up Brand New and I have a lot of life stuff going on. Hope this chapter is alright!.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! <3

Dan had a difficult time pulling Mae back to the present, although he tried to show her happier songs of the 80s. She smiled and patiently watched more music videos with him, but he could tell her interest was now a bit forced. Guilt was forming in the pit of his stomach. ~I really didn’t mean to make her cry. I guess Skyhill is a little heavy…~

 

He intuitively knew that it was a little more complicated than that. However, when he tried to get Mae to open up, she immediately clamshelled. Mumbling something about her head still hurting, the mermaid quickly apologized before dipping her head back beneath the bath water, squeezing her eyes shut.

 

Dan sighed, wondering what he should do. After a moment of thought, he looked at her. “I’ll be back in a bit, okay?” She gave a slight nod. He pulled a black hoodie from his closet and slipped it on as he trudged down the stairs.

 

Crossing the front room into the back dining room, he peered out the tall windows that lined the back wall. It was still cloudy outside, sunlight barely spilling above the hills, although the rain had let up a little. Making a decision, Dan opened one of the sliding doors and slid outside to his backyard.

 

He pulled the tarp from his swimming pool to survey the damage. ~Not too bad, just some dirt and leaves.~ He took a few minutes to place a new chlorine tablet into the filter, then grabbed a long net off to the side, fishing out the remaining debris.

 

~~~

 

“Hey.” When Mae blinked up at him, he smiled. “I cleaned the pool. Figured you might wanna stretch your tailfin.”

 

Mae sat up, gazing at him a moment. Her lips curved upwards. “You didn’t have to, but thank you.”

 

“You gotta show me how fast you swim, right?” He grinned, although it was wiped from his face in a moment. He’d forgotten how much work it had been to get Mae up the stairs. “Uh...so I can move you downstairs to the backyard, I just might need a little help. I don’t wanna like, accidentally throw my back out…” Dan’s face flushed with what he was suggesting. Something you never, ever tell girls. Ever.

 

Mae just fed him a humored look. After some contemplation, it dissolved into a serious expression. “I can get downstairs on my own. But…”

 

“But?”

 

Mae bit her lip. “I don’t want you to see...exactly how...if that’s alright.”

 

Dan raised an eyebrow. He had an idea of why. But he wanted to hear it from her. “Why don’t you want me to see?”

 

He watched as several undefined things played out in Mae’s eyes. After an awkward minute, she seemed to decide on something. “Dan...when you were a child, what kind of toys did you play with?”

 

~Huh?~ That threw him off guard. “Ah, uh...I had action figures, you know, like, little super hero toys. Plastic weapons, stuff like that. Why do you ask?”

 

Mae gave him a small smile, beckoning him over to her. Slightly intrigued, Dan walked over and sat on the edge of the tub. She looked up at him, eyes glittering. “Merpeople can craft many things, thanks to tools or magic. I had dolls when I was younger. But we also like to use our imaginations when we play…”

 

Dan was going to reply, but paused as she gently took both of his hands. He watched as she slowly cupped his hands together, palms facing upward. “With practice, we have the advantage of using natural skills or magic to bring some of what we can imagine to life.”

 

Dan blinked in confusion as Mae closed her eyes. There was a splash from the other side of the tub that startled him.

 

He gasped, his mouth hanging agape and eyes wide in astonishment as a twisting rope of water lifted out of the tub. A segment broke away from the surface and danced in the air, snaking towards Dan’s hands. It swirled around in his palms and settled into a gently rotating sphere.

 

Dan just stared at the ball of water in awe. “Holy...!” When he glanced back at Mae, she was grinning at him. She couldn’t help but grin at his reaction, getting a laugh out of him. “Mae, this is amazing! You can control water?!” He touched the sphere with his thumb- it traveled through the water but didn’t break the shape. When he removed his thumb, it was dry.

 

“Yeah, every merperson has a little bit of hydrokinetic ability. Magicians can morph other objects, like stone or wood, although I’m not that talented. What would you like it to be?”

 

Dan was still distracted. “Be? Uh…”

 

“Wait, I got it.” Mae placed her webbed hands over Dan’s again, wearing a look of concentration.

 

The water lifted into the air and broke into two more segments. One remained round as the other formed a conical shape. As the pieces merged, Mae took them into her hands, closing her eyes again.

 

Dan watched as ice formed across the surface of the water, seeping into it and freezing the shapes together. As Mae ran her fingers across it, the rounded end became textured, the conical grip curvy with some indentations.

 

When she was finished perfecting it, Mae handed the ice sculpture to Dan. “What do you think?”

 

It was heavy and cold but it didn’t melt in Dan’s hands. He was wonderstruck as he held it, his voice softening. “It’s a microphone.” His face lit up with another smile as he touched the Star of David carved into the grip. A lightness returned to his chest. “Wow. Thank you, Mae. This is awesome.” He looked into her bright eyes. “So, you used the water to make toys when you were little?”

 

“Sometimes yeah, although I was pretty content with just my imagination.”

 

“I bet you’re great at parties,” He said with a giggle.

 

Mae pushed herself up out of the tub. “I dunno about that. But now I can show you how I’ll get down the stairs.”

 

Dan stood up, still feeling excited. “Okay, do you need help?”

 

“Nah, I got it.”

 

Dan watched in amazement as Mae pulled from the bath and created a blanket of water surrounding her torso. She allowed the tiny, contained river to carry her across the carpet and down the stairs without leaving a wet trail. He followed closely behind her, still gripping the faux microphone in his hand so he could store it in the freezer on the way outside.

 

He’d already forgotten what had prompted the idea in the first place.

 

~~~

 

As soon as Mae slipped into the pool, she seemed compelled to swim. She slipped completely underwater and Dan sat at the edge, pulling on his hood to avoid the light rain. He watched closely as his new friend swam laps at the bottom of the pool. Even beneath the overcast sky, her scales still had a golden shimmer that moved up and down with her as her body swayed up and down. Dan found it mesmerizing.

 

Then she resurfaced near him, grinning. He wasn’t sure if he’d get used to looking into the sea of her blue-green eyes. It took him a minute to realize she was speaking to him. “Dan?”

 

He blinked. “Uh, yeah?”

 

She gave him a briefly concerned look, then continued. “Thank you for this- it’s great! Do you wanna see how fast I can swim?”

 

Dan nodded- he really was curious. “Yeah, you said you like to race, right?”

 

“It’s my favorite thing to do. Okay, one sec.” Mae dipped back underneath the water and Dan watched her swim to one side of the pool. Dan saw a determined look of concentration cross her face before she shot forward, a jet of water spraying behind her that sprinkled on Dan.

 

“Whoah!” His eyes widened as he watched her crimson form move back and forth rapidly in the water, causing surface waves to spill onto the concrete. He had no idea how she could make the hairpin turns so quickly- she had to be moving at around 40 miles per hour. 

 

Without warning, there was a sting of something sharp in his heart. As he watched the waves grow, he felt a spike of apprehensive adrenaline. His breath was suddenly caught in his throat, black stars crossing his vision. He laid back on one elbow, a hand on his chest as he began to cough.

 

Mae sprouted up out of the water to throw him a smile. It was quickly extinguished. “Dan?” She pushed herself out of the pool, swiftly scooting over to him. He was still coughing. “What’s wrong?! Hey, deep breaths-”

 

Dan tried to heed her advice. He was able to get a few gasping breaths in but his lungs felt trapped in a cage. She rubbed his back, her face worried. “Are you okay?! Dan-”

 

After a few minutes, the sensation released and Dan was able to breathe normally again. Seeing Mae’s concerned face, he gave her an incredibly embarrassed smile, his face red. “Sorry, I’m okay. I just get light asthma sometimes, the air quality here sucks…” He cleared his throat to drive the point home.

 

She wasn’t buying it. “That didn’t look light…”

 

Dan decidedly didn’t like this kind of attention. “I...I saw you swim. That was incredible! How fast were you going?” He tried to grin at her, flinching. 

 

Mae placed a hand on his shoulder, still frowning. “Thank you. We should go back inside though…”

 

Dan felt incredibly bad. “Ah-are you sure? We just got out here.”

 

“I wanna see the things you grew up with,” Mae said with some finality. Dan felt another ping in his chest as her eyes saddened. “I...don’t want the air to hurt you…”

 

Dan didn’t think he could argue with that look. “I’ll be okay, but we can go inside...” He stood up and held the door open for her. “I’ll go grab you a towel, then I can show you some of the toys I grew up with.” He threw her another smile before heading inside.

 

Mae was quiet a moment as she watched him walk away. Then she sighed as she scooted herself over to the door.

 

~~~

 

"And this one is..?"

 

"Leonardo, he's the leader. This is Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael..."

 

Dan's mission to teach Mae about his childhood toys had inevitably turned into somewhat of a play date on the kitchen floor. They had spent some time setting up old remote control car and Hot Wheels tracks across the tile. Mae was currently listening to Dan as she sculpted New York City out of water she retrieved from the sink. She had a comic book flipped open and was peering at it while she worked, using it as a reference. Dan sat with her and pulled more figures from a box he'd retrieved from his closet, explaining the variety of characters to her.

 

Mae flipped to the next page, a smile playing out on her lips. "And they're teenage turtles that are also crime fighting ninjas."

 

Dan smirked. "You sound amused."

 

"They're supposed to be amusing, right? In a...ridiculous sense? Like your comedy band."

 

She had said it so matter-of-factly that Dan was sure she didn't mean anything by it. He paused a moment. "Ah, well...superheroes are always, like, exaggerated one way or another. Cuz they're fantasies- super humans. Or, uh, non-humans. And they all have unique powers or fighting skills..."

 

Mae nodded in understanding. "Right. So your Ninja Sex Party duo are superheroes."

 

Dan began to test out the remote control cars. He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You think so?"

 

Again, Mae spoke as if it were obvious. "Well, yeah. Danny Sexbang and Ninja Brian are both skilled ninjas. And they saved the year 6969 from those evil Dick Lords."

 

Dan laughed at the comment. "Yeah, they did!" Although..."

 

Mae looked up from the Empire State building she was carving. "Although?"

 

Dan's eyes softened as he stared at the track. "...I dunno. Danny does weird stuff, but...I dunno if I'd call him a superhero. He's a ninja, but he's mainly just a guy."

 

Mae nodded, although another look of confusion crossed her face. "Okay, so...normal guys without extravagant powers can't be superheroes too?"

 

Dan shook his head. "Oh, no...that's not what I mean. Cuz like, there's Batman, for instance. Or Iron Man." He pulled out two more figures and tossed them to Mae. She peered at them, perplexed. "They don't have magic but they have tools and inventions they use to fight with- and they're also strong." 

 

Dan was getting another uncomfortable feeling in his chest that he didn't want to entertain. He looked out at all the towers Mae had made and remarked, "Wow, that city looks really fucking awesome!" 

 

Mae gave him another unsure smile. "Thanks! They shouldn't melt for a while." Mae began to pick up some of the Hot Wheels, looking at the different models intently. "So, did you play imagination games too?"

 

"Oh yeah, totally." A nostalgic look crossed Dan's face. "My friends and I used to play in the woods, next to a creek by the house I grew up in in Jersey- that's a place on the other side of the country next to the Atlantic Ocean. So, we would like, pretend to be knights that fought monsters and dragons, usually to save a princess..."

 

Dan was about to explain the new terms, but Mae's eyes lit up. "I know what those are! I used to sometimes find surface books with dragons and knights in them. I really liked them."

 

Dan's cheeks flushed- he found it pretty adorable how proud of herself she seemed to be. "Oh yeah? I'll have to show you my books later, we can compare." He scooted closer to her now as they set up the cars together on the track, placing all the figures next to the buildings. "So, what kind of pretend games do merpeople play?" he asked with growing curiosity.

 

Mae scratched her chin, thinking a moment. "Oh, I can't speak for everyone. But I just liked...to pretend to be magical, I guess. Like a sorceress, or something." A faraway gleam appeared in her eyes. "I wanted to use magic to...create good things, like art or useful tools. And fight evil too, I guess..." She seemed to dismiss this idea in an instant. "But I really just liked to swim the most. I...really wanted to be the fastest swimmer in the world..."

 

Now Dan felt a little puzzled. "You say that like it's all in the past...but you are magical. Right? And from what I saw, you swam really fast in the pool. I bet that's not even your top speed." He threw a smile her way.

 

The duo just stared at each other a moment. Then Mae looked away, pink in her cheeks. "...You're right, I can go a lot faster in the ocean."

 

Another thought quickly crossed Dan's mind- one that he was internally kicking himself for not asking earlier. "So, did you have a house in the ocean then? I mean like, somewhere to store all your stuff?"

 

Dan looked down at Mae as they sat, shoulder to shoulder. Again, Mae didn't meet his gaze- he didn't understand why. She mumbled at the floor, "Oh, yeah I had some items, but they were all in a shared grotto anyway. And...merpeople don't get as attached to their belongings like people do..."

 

Dan could see that, although he wasn't sure he completely believed her. Mae wasn't too hard to read. ~She really doesn't like talking about her home life at all...~ He decided not to press the matter. "Yeah, humans are really attached to their stuff, especially electronics." Dan briefly wondered if Mae would be as interested in movies and video games when he got to the point of introducing her to those things.

 

Dan was about to change the subject when he glanced at the microwave clock above the stove. It was a little after 8am. "Oh, hey. The store should be open now, so I can go pick up some good seafood in a bit, if you want. Any special requests?"

 

"Please no squid, or octopus," Mae said definitively. She looked almost hurt even suggesting they were edible. 

 

Dan smiled at her in understanding as he stood up. "Okay, no friends on the menu today. It might take some time to get everything though- should be less than an hour, depending on traffic. Uh..." He looked guilty. "Are you okay being home alone while I'm out? I'll be quick, I swear." Dan felt that Mae was somewhat childlike...he worried about what trouble she could possibly get into while he was away. But she also seemed to have a firm head on her shoulders. ~She's not stupid, I'm sure she'll be fine.~

 

It didn't even really occur to him that maybe he shouldn't keep a supernatural creature alone in his house.

 

Mae could see some of the internal monologue- she put her hands up. "I'll be just fine, Dan. I won't touch anything that looks complicated," she said with a grin. "And I have all these toys and picture stories to entertain me."

 

Dan smiled. "Okay. Oh, but before we put all this away later, is it alright if I take some pictures? It just looks so cool." Mae looked uneasy again, so Dan backpedaled. "Nevermind- we can just remake it in the future, right?" 

 

Mae nodded. "Of course. This is really fun." She returned a sweet smile.

 

"Yeah! I've had an awesome morning with you too, Mae," he replied softly. They both just looked warmly at each other a moment, then he turned away. His legs were beginning to feel like Jell-O. He walked towards the stairway to retrieve his keys from his room. "I won't be too long, I promise!"

 

"Alright! Be safe!"

 

"You too! Be right back!"

 

In a few minutes, Dan looked over everything once more before leaving the house and walking outside to his car. He didn't actually register what Mae had said until he got in his car. ~She said be safe.~ He started the engine, listening to it purr as his heart sank a little.

 

In his mind, he heard it in someone else's voice.

 

~...I will.~

 

~~~ ***

 

You just sat on the floor a moment, staring at the door. You thought deeply about what Dan had said. ~He said in the future. Like...~ Like he expected you to stay. ~But he's only known me a few hours...~ Guilt and uneasiness were beginning to pool in your gut. You felt even worse when you thought about what you were about to do.

 

You listened as the car left the driveway and waited a few minutes. When it seemed relatively quiet outside, you closed your eyes, running your hands across your tailfin. 

 

Water seeped out of of your scales and collected in the air. As your fin drained, the scales slowly faded, morphed into something far softer. You gasped as you felt the strange sensation of your fin splitting into two long muscles that quickly shrank into bony, awkward and skinny limbs. They were lighter in weight but they somehow felt heavier, as if they were pulling down on your waist.

 

You opened your eyes and watched as the remainder of the fin morphed into the tiny toes on your now human-looking legs. When the transformation was complete, your arms and chest also smooth and scale-free, you tossed the extra ball of water into the sink and stared down at your naked body.

 

You hadn't seen your human form in a while, for at least six months. Maybe a year? Time was hard to tell in the ocean. And even though you had somewhat forgotten the feeling of having feet up until this point, the next part never got any easier.

 

You took deep breaths as you wiggled your new toes. Emotion was welling up inside. You tried to press it down as you scooted over to a granite counter and began to pull yourself up. When you got to your feet, your knees were shaking hard. It took a few minutes to somewhat steady them.

 

When you made a few wobbly steps toward the bathroom, your feelings got the better of you. Crystaline tears began to fall freely down your face. 

 

~I can never get used to this...dammit...~ 

 

Walking.

 

You grabbed a towel from the bathroom rack and wrapped it tightly around yourself, holding onto the walls as you began to slowly explore the house.


	6. On Our Toes (pt 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys, this isn't even done, I just figured you might want a post before MerMay ends so here's the first part of the chapter. Thanks for following! <3

(( A man with salt and pepper in his hair waited patiently in the Corolla, twiddling his thumbs as he waited for you outside the gym. Coach Richard had called- the news wasn't terrible in his opinion, but it wasn't good. You had only been at the pool for a little less than an hour.

 

When the double doors opened, you were being pushed out in a wheelchair, still wearing your swimsuit and goggles. You gritted your teeth as your coach wheeled you over to the passenger side. You were completely humiliated, frustrated, worried sick. You told him you were fine, but he insisted that you shouldn't move yet.

 

The test was going to be easy. All you had to do was beat your time of two minutes and twenty seconds for a 200 meter freestyle. Nevertheless, you had practiced for a couple weeks straight. You had already knocked your time down to two o' seven. All that work, and you couldn't even show your coach.

 

Instead, the entire team watched as you completely froze up in the water. Your back muscles locked up around you, contained fire squeezing you hard as you sank to the bottom of the pool, gasping for air. Your teammates didn't see when it hit you. A new, terrifying, purely electric pain that had struck you so suddenly, from your spine all the way down your legs.

 

All they saw was failure, weighing you down, deep in your gut.

 

The older man carefully helped you into the car and spoke to the coach for a few minutes before joining you.

 

You sat in silence for a few minutes, arms folded as you stared out the window. The man glanced over at you. When he spoke, his voice was gruff but gentle. "Sorry you had a bad day. Probably pulled a muscle. You've been working hard."

 

"I've been working my ass off!" You spat. You wiped your eyes before the tears had spilled over. "I couldn't move for like, twenty minutes. Then it just went away. Everyone was staring at me."

 

He patted your leg. "Doctor C will know what's up. We can reschedule your test."

 

You sighed. He didn't get it, as usual. "Dad, if this is like, a serious thing, then I'll probably be out for the entire season. And then I won't qualify for state finals- I'll be totally fucked!"

 

Your father let you simmer a minute before he spoke again. "There's no use jumping to conclusions, ____. And you could use a little break."

 

You stared at him incredulously. "What?!"

 

"I'm just sayin', you have been at this nonstop lately-"

 

"So what, I should quit while I'm ahead?!" You couldn't believe what you were hearing.

 

"Now, don't go puttin' words in my mouth!" he answered, watching the road. "Even the best athletes take breaks once in a while."

 

You huffed, a humorless grin on your face. "Yeah? Did Lodeski stop before she got gold and beat all three of her world records last year?"

 

You knew that Claris was taking an interval after losing silver by .3 seconds, but you conveniently left that information out. Instead, you rolled your eyes at him.

 

Your dad's voice softened. "All I'm sayin' is, you should be nicer to yourself sometimes."

 

You arrived in the ER parking lot. You got out of the car before he did, swinging your bag over your shoulder. "Olympians don't stop, Dad. Life doesn't just stop. I have to work hard if I’m gonna be the best. That’s just it.”

 

He decided not to retort as you both walked to the entrance of the hospital. As you stepped through the large revolving door, you gasped as another spasm hit you. Your knees buckled as you collapsed onto the tile.

 

You were right. Life didn’t stop. 

 

And it didn’t play nice. ))

~~~

You wandered into the living room first, a small area West of the entrance. A large flatscreen and speakers were mounted on the wall above a dark wood entertainment system. A matching square coffee table, side table and small leather couch stood across from it. A navy blue, woven rug encircled the light carpeting. There was a ceiling fan above and the walls were covered in a few framed movie posters. To the left, there was a rather large bookcase which was stuffed with manga, books, newer comics and some blu-ray anime collections. You smiled when you saw Vampire Hunter D- you knew that Dan had spoken positively about it. You faintly wondered if vampires were real as you looked around.

 

Out of curiosity, you grabbed the remote from the couch and switched on the TV. It just had basic channels. You figured Dan wasn’t too much of a TV guy, or he probably had some streaming service instead.

 

You switched away from the the channel four morning news and turned it off before moving into the room across the hall.

 

This room had a much darker interior with a black tile floor. It appeared to be a music and collectibles room. There was a large, retro record playing system on the Northern side, boxes of records and CDs tucked away in low cabinets on either side of it. There were numerous band posters covering the walls, every Rush album cover lined up in chronological order.

 

The other half of the room was for NSP stuff; Danny Sexbang and Ninja Brian stared back at you from various posters. Below these was a plethora of fan made dolls, figures and other art or fun trinkets.

 

Passion, love. That’s what was surrounding you. Even though none of it was intended for you, it was somehow still overwhelming. This was Dan’s life.

 

As your nerves crept up, you found yourself quickly leaving, heading back across the kitchen to stare out at the pool outside. 

 

You were still concerned about him. You knew that he was afraid of the ocean and especially didn’t like sharks. ~But...that was different...like...~ Like he’d witnessed something bad. Something that scared him to his core. You felt incredibly bad for causing him to panic. ~What happened?~ What had you missed while you were away from the ‘real world’?

 

In fact, the longer you stayed, the worse you felt overall. What else could you do now? Was invading someone else’s space really your only option? Especially someone you admired?

 

There were places in your mind you didn’t want to visit either. Your headache was returning, a warning. You placed your back against the wall. “What the fuck am I doing here?” you muttered, sighing. You ran your hand across one of your thighs, thinking deeply.

 

As you were cleaning up the toys some time later, you heard Dan’s car pull up, his door slamming. It sounded like he was talking on the phone. You opened the glass door and swiftly slipped into the backyard, dropping the towel and closing your eyes as you dove back into the swimming pool.

 

Back into the imaginary.

 

~~~ ***

 

(( In all honesty, Dan thought it was a bit much for a first date. The Perch was one of the pricier French restaurants in LA that towered somewhere above to provide an excellent view of the city lights and the sunset in the evening. 

 

It had been her idea, and she insisted on paying too. He definitely didn’t want to disappoint, but Dan still had terribly mixed feelings about that as he sat at one of the round, linen covered tables, holding a skinny glass of champagne. They had already finished the first two courses, empty plates scattered across the table. Tonight he was wearing a neat, baby blue button down shirt and black slacks, his hair glossy and full of voluminous curls.

 

She sat across from him, wearing the classic black, sleeveless A-line party dress with lace over the collar. She giggled at some joke he’d said, a glass in her own hand. She was somewhat younger than him, although she held herself in a confidently relaxed pose, her eyes attentively all over him, occasionally skimming somewhere beyond. She had a glowing tan and a vividly white grin, layered and highlighted blonde hair at her shoulders.

 

Dan found his own eyes wandering across her toned arms and shoulders when she decided to get to business. “So, what do you do then, Mr. Avidan?”

 

Dan smiled and shrugged nonchalantly, trying to match her body language. Whenever he was attempting to impress a girl, the career questions always made his already weak insides explode into jitters. “I’m a musician, a singer in a comedy band. And, uh, a talk show host, kinda...”

 

She seemed intrigued. “Talk show? What channel?” 

 

He was internally kicking himself as he answered, “Oh, it’s uh, a Youtube show...kinda like a podcast.”

 

“Oh, okay. That sounds fun.” She was still smiling at him, which was kind of reassuring.

 

Dan hastily skipped the explanation for now, taking another nervous sip. “How about you? You’re a pro athlete, right? A swimmer and diver?” Her online profile suggested that it was a significant part of her life.

 

Now she raised an arched eyebrow and gave a laugh. “Well...this is refreshing,” she said, taking a drink with a little smirk. When Dan’s mouth fell slightly agape, she added, “I’m assuming you didn’t try to Google me then?”

 

Dan was perplexed. Was this some exam he’d forgotten to study for? He’d read the profile. That wasn’t enough? Oh God, did she Google him too? “Ah…n-no, I didn’t. Should I have?” He tossed her another grin to cover himself.

 

“No, not necessarily,” she countered to help him out. She was still watching him closely. “Did you watch the 2012 Summer Games?”

 

In that exact moment, Dan realized that some of the guests at other tables had been glancing in their direction. He looked back at the woman’s face but nothing registered in his memory. “Yeah, I did watch some of them…” he answered lamely, feeling dumber by the second.

 

The woman laughed again. She seemed to be getting enjoyment from his reaction, her eyes warming up as she set down her drink. She leaned forward, crossing her legs. “Let’s put a cork in that for now. First, tell me about this comedy band…” ))

 

~


	7. On Our Toes (pt. 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the rest of the chapter! Hope you like it, thanks for reading.

Dan's arms were full of groceries when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He set the bags down in his driveway and grabbed it, putting it to his ear. "Hello?"

 

"Cool, you're awake." Arin's sounded slightly groggy. "Hey, so uh, Holly and Ross invited us to go to this new waffle place and I figured I'd ask if you're up for it."

 

Dan could sense the anticipated disappointment in his voice. While Game Grumps was doing alright, other aspects of Dan's life were slowly suffering. Although, this time, he had a valid reason. "I would go, except I kinda...got an unexpected visitor yesterday." Dan glanced at the front door.

 

"Oh?" Arin perked up. 

 

Dan knew he had to tread carefully, although he wasn't best at making excuses on the fly. "Yeah, she uh, flew in this morning, and-"

 

"She? A girl?"

 

"Not like that man, just a cousin from Jersey. She just graduated and was having guy issues or something, I don't really know the details. My folks already have Dana and the boys over, so they asked me to help her out, probably just for a couple days." Okay, maybe not as hard as he thought.

 

"Oh, okay." Arin didn't sound entirely convinced but he left it alone. "Well, she can come too if she's not too jet-lagged."

 

"Thanks. I was at the airport at fuckin' five in the morning. I haven't prepared the house for guests, so I think I'll just be cleaning today."

 

"Alright." There was the disappointment. "Well, see ya Tuesday then."

 

"See ya, thanks again."

 

Arin briefly added that Dan's "cousin" could drop by the office too if she got bored, then he hung up.

 

Dan pocketed his phone and walked through the front door with the groceries. He felt bad about the lie, but what else was he supposed to say? It seemed like the best one for now. Hopefully, Mae would be okay with it. 

 

A tinge of worry showed up in his gut when he thought about returning to work and leaving her alone at his house again. 

 

Mae, the nice, pretty, honest-to-God mermaid that he'd picked off the beach last night.

 

As he stepped through the door, he noticed that the city of ice had been disposed of, the toys neatly put away, off to the side. Most all of the lights on the first floor were on, the front window blinds still shut. He noticed the TV remote had been moved as he passed the living room. "Mae? You down here?"

 

He saw her head pop out of the swimming pool outside. His insides fluttered as she grinned and waved her fin at him. She slid out of the water and joined him in the kitchen as he set the bags on the center island. Mae used her "river trick" to sit up on one of the tall bar stools. "You got a lot of stuff," she said, peering into one of the seafood bags.

 

"Yeah, I was long overdue for a shopping trip." Dan began to put things away. "I got us some local sashimi, crab, mussels, oysters, and these seaweed-wrap-thingies that looked good." He smiled at her. "You didn't have to clean the floor.”

 

"Humans frequently injure themselves by tripping over things," Mae said in her typical, matter-of-fact tone as she unconcernedly picked out a bottle of shampoo and peered at the label.

 

Dan allowed her childlike curiosity, leaning against the counter. "Do anything fun while I was gone?"

 

Mae glanced up at him. "I saw your music room. You have a large record player."

 

"Merpeople know of those? You see the posters too? Rush is my favorite band of all time."

 

"Oh? Why is that?" Mae asked him in earnest.

 

For a moment, Dan looked as though she'd slapped him in the face. Then he grinned. "Sounds like we're finishing breakfast in there today.”

~

The duo sat on the black tile floor and listened to Moving Pictures while eating seafood together. Dan explained pretty much the entire history of Rush and Mae interrupted here and there to ask simple questions as she peered at some of the lyrics on his phone. He thought he was losing her, but whenever he looked at her, her eyes were bright and lively, focused solely on him. Then he was looking at her expectantly. "So? What do you think of them?"

 

He watched as her face scrunched up in thought. "I...I think a lot of things, um..." She paused a moment, then continued, "It's very loud and high-spirited. Sometimes when I'm close to the shore and a concert is going on somewhere, I can feel the vibrations through the water, especially in my chest. It's like...heartbeat music."

 

"Yeah?" Dan raised an eyebrow- he'd never heard it put that way before. He liked that expression.

 

Seeing his face, she quickly added, "I like it! Geddy Lee has a voice that's both soft and strong. And..." She handed Dan his phone back. "I haven't listened to a lot of surface music, but I don't think I've heard lyrics like that before. They seem...more poetic than what I've heard people singing? Or something?"

 

Dan chuckled- if he didn't know better, he'd assume she was trying to impress him somehow. "Rush definitely has a mastery of lyrics. Of course, I think they're way better than a lot of bands today, but that doesn't mean new musicians are talentless. Styles just change over time- I know plenty of great bands that are pretty new."

 

"Yeah." Mae looked up thoughtfully at the record player. Her eyes seemed hazy again. "The...Pacific merpeople are strict, traditional people that like to focus on keeping their heritage distinct from the Atlantic sirens and from humans. They have music, but most of it is percussion-based, they don't have very many instruments...they let me keep a record player that I’d found, although they said it was for "education," or something. I only had a couple of records that had mostly survived a wreckage..." She threw Dan a sheepish smile. "That being said, I do like 'Mozart' and 'Chopin'. I want to see how that music is played. I don't think merpeople have anything like those sounds, not without replication."

 

"Oh cool, that's called classical music. It's some of the first famous music of our history. I can show you all that soon, if you want..." Dan slowly shook his head as he thought about what she said. A society with limited music? And no singing? That didn't seem healthy to him, but who was he to judge another culture? "But man, that sounds pretty rough. If I lived with those merpeople, I would've probably moved away too, even if it was a long-ass trip across the world. I mean, I need to sing at least." Dan found himself wondering again exactly how many merpeople there were in existence, as well as other supernatural beings…

 

Mae shrugged. "I didn't let it bother me much..." She grew quiet, nibbling on one of the seaweed wraps.

 

Dan almost decided to ask her how long she wanted to stay with him. Almost. But a force in his mind combined with the guarded look on her face shoved the issue down again. Instead, he asked, "So, with what you know now, what's your favorite music then?"

 

"Well, I like my records. And I really like what you showed me on your phone. The...dancey, electric stuff, I mean. It’s just so lively."

 

Dan made a mental note. "So like, synth pop, 80's pop and electronica." He frowned at her suddenly cautious expression. "You okay?"

 

Mae's eyes lit up again and she nodded. "Oh, yeah. I just thought you might get upset that Rush wasn't my favorite too."

 

"Nono, I'd never be like that. Everyone has different taste in music." Dan rubbed his back, giving her a concerned look. "Sorry, I guess I get a bit carried away when I talk about them." 

 

"I like it when you get carried away..." Mae said softly, looking at the floor. Dan watched as a hint of color bloomed in her cheeks. "I mean...nobody else has tried to teach me stuff like you do. It's really nice...listening to someone talk about what they clearly love."

 

"Yeah?" Dan temporarily lost his words as heat returned to his face. ~She has to know how cute she's being right now...~ It was unfair, really.

 

Then Dan remembered the phone call with Arin. He needed to tell her. "Oh, uh, so, I got a call from one of my friends today."

 

Mae looked up abruptly. "Barry?"

 

"No, I have another friend named Arin that I work with."

 

She became interested. "Is he a singer too?"

 

"Sorta yeah- we have another band called Starbomb. I'll have show you later." 

 

Dan was starting to realize that he had a hell of a lot to teach Mae. He briefly thought it interesting that, despite his unique guest, he was the one doing most of the talking. It was a little overwhelming- he hadn't even brought up Game Grumps yet. He'd have to make a complete list on his phone. 

 

But first, the difficult stuff. He gulped. "I, uh...I...kinda told him you were here." Mae's eyes widened in fear- Dan quickly added, "I mean, I lied. I told him you were my cousin, staying for just a couple days. He doesn't know anything about you being a mermaid." 

 

Dan watched as Mae stayed frozen for a few minutes. When, she spoke up, her voice was low. “You said you weren’t gonna tell anyone.”

 

The guilt in his chest was growing. "Ah...I know, I'm really sorry, I kinda fucked up. I didn't know what else to tell him though. Is...is that okay? I mean, no, it’s not okay, I'm sorry, I know I should've asked you first. I'm an idiot..."

 

Mae still said nothing, her eyes searching his. Dan blew out a sigh. "He wouldn't come over unexpectedly, most of my friends call first. And, Arin's one of the people I trust the most. And like, even if he accidently found out about you, he wouldn't tell anyone." Probably. "But he won't find out. I promise you'll be safe while you're here, Mae."

 

After a minute, Mae slowly nodded at him. "...Okay. Okay, Dan," she said softly, still looking unsure.

 

Dan didn't want her to worry anymore. He peered across the hall. "...Did you see my living room?"

~~~ ***

You were more upset at Dan than you had expressed, choosing to bite your tongue. It wasn’t like he had made a promise, but you really didn’t need anyone else to know you were here, even if your “secret” was safe.

 

But he brought you into his own home, completely on a whim. And just his media presence alone had helped you through some of the more difficult times in your life.

 

Alright, fine. His house, his rules. You had no right to ask for any more.

 

And the genuine worry on his face quickly melted your irritations away.

 

He took your arm and helped you slide across the floor into his living room. He pointed at his bookshelf. “Didja see my collection? A bunch of books from my childhood are here.”

 

Dan mainly showed you his favorites: The Last Unicorn and Lord of the Rings. He told you about Tolkien, how he had essentially defined modern fantasy and how all the books had a very strong influence on Dan’s life. You spoke briefly about a series you’d found years ago called the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, which was about a princess who had several adventures with dragons. He seemed pleased that you were a little familiar with the genre.

 

When Dan’s eyes fell back to his television, they brightened with an idea. He glanced down at you. “Mae, do you know what movies are?”

 

“Sort of. They’re a little bit like plays, right? And humans watch them on these big screens.” You waved a webbed hand at the TV.

 

“That’s pretty much it, yeah.” Dan looked a little excited as he pointed at the novel you were holding. “This series was made into an awesome movie trilogy, and it’s really well done. Do you, uh...to pass some time today, do you wanna maybe watch the first movie with me?”

 

When you looked back at him, his eyes were sparkling with anticipation. ~Oh my God, he’s dying to show me this. As my “first movie ever” too.~ You couldn’t help but laugh- if that wasn’t just fucking adorable. He looked a little crestfallen for a moment before you answered, “Okay, I’ll watch a ‘movie’ with you, Dan.”

 

He looked as though he’d received a gift; his face lit up and he grinned. “Alright, let’s do this! So, it’s kinda long and it might get confusing in places, but don’t worry, I don’t mind explaining it to you-”

 

You were surprised as suddenly he was helping you onto the couch. “Oh, you mean right now?”

 

“Yeah! The sooner you see it, the better!” He acted as though it were obvious.

 

You watched as Dan scrambled across the room to grab pillows and a blanket asking if you needed anything before he popped in the movie and shut off the lights.

 

You got as comfortable as you could, choosing to sit up against some pillows with your fin across the coffee table. He didn’t seem to mind as he sat next to you and passed you the blanket, grinning. “I’m so glad we’re doing this today,” he said with a giggle.

 

His joy was cute, and simply infectious. You smiled back, feeling a warmth in your chest. “I’m glad too,” you replied as you passed half of the blanket to him. 

 

Despite the lies, you really meant that.

~

“If I take one more step, it will be the fartherest away from home I’ve ever been,” Samwise said, looking uncertain as he stood in the field.

 

You watched as Frodo put his arm around his friend as they left the Shire together. You heard a sniffle next to you. When you looked up, Dan’s eyes were wet.

 

You fought back a smile. “Are you crying?”

 

He gave an embarrassed chuckle, quickly wiping his eyes. “Sorry, this movie always kinda turns me into a pussy.”

 

You played dumb. “A cat?”

 

“Nono...nevermind. I mean, there are parts that just never fail to bring on the waterworks. Sorry.”

 

You shook your head. “You don’t have to apologize for being moved by a scene that’s supposed to move you, Dan. That’s just silly.”

 

He just looked at you a moment, then smiled. “Yeah, I guess so.”

~

Dan took the time to fill in the blanks and explain characters, races and locations to you. And you were genuinely interested, not having grown up reading Lord of the Rings yourself.

 

A little over halfway through the movie, you began to feel uncomfortable. Your throat became dry and you rubbed your arms as they began to itch.

 

Dan noticed you squirming and paused the movie. “Hey, you alright?”

 

“W-water...please…” You managed to say as your voice became hoarse. You pulled the blanket off, beginning to feel hot.

 

Dan’s eyes ran across your fin and widened. “Oh, oh shit!” He jumped up and ran into the kitchen as you began to cough.

 

He brought in an entire case of water and sat it on the floor, handing you bottle after bottle, and you downed each one quickly until you felt normal again. When you could focus, you realized you’d drunk the entire case.

 

Dan didn’t seem to care as he stared at you with great concern. “You doin’ okay now? Do you need to soak?”

 

You gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m good now. Sorry, I completely forgot I hadn’t had a drink in a while.”

 

He grinned sympathetically. “My fault, I should’ve offered before the movie started. Guess I got too excited.”

 

You looked down at the moderate pile of plastic below you. “I drank all of it...sorry…”

 

“You’re totally fine, I’ve got more. Here, one sec.”

 

You waited patiently as he brought in another case from his car and set it down next to you, then walked into the kitchen. He poured a mostly empty milk carton into the sink, rinsed it and left it there to soak- your new water bottle. He grabbed himself a couple of Perriers from the fridge and rejoined you in the living room.

 

It didn’t escape your notice that Dan’s body language had changed. He sat closer to you now, one arm behind you along the length of the couch. He remained there for the remainder of the movie.

 

It ended around noon. After a brief discussion, Dan thought it best for you to both take a break for a bit- he had some chores to do (“adulting,” as he called it). You idly swam back and forth in the pool and watched as he went through his mail and lightly cleaned his kitchen.

 

For a guy you thought you at least partially knew, he was beginning to perplex you. If any other person had found a mermaid, they probably would have treated them as a dangerous creature, or at least interrogated them. He hadn’t done either of those things. In fact, you were beginning to feel more “human” than you had in a long time.

 

It was as though he was purposefully avoiding the subject, despite his evident curiosity about you. But you were too, and anything he chose not to bring up only made life easier.

~

When he was finished, Dan walked out to greet you, hands in his pockets. You swam up to him and grinned, slipping out of the water. “Hey there.”

 

“Hey.” When he smiled at you, there was a new warmth to his eyes. Chocolate embers, pensively burning. “So, um...I have another job, other than singing.” He sat down, this time simply ignoring the lightly sprinkling rain.

 

“Yeah?” You turned towards him, tail flipping in the water.

 

“Yeah, I...co-host an internet show with my friend, Arin. He owns his own company.”

 

“What kind of show?”

 

“Well, we, uh...we play video games and tell stories while we play.”

 

He was awaiting the expected response. You tilted your head. “What’s a video game?”

~~~ ***

Dan found himself nearly out of breath as he took another hour to summarize a brief history of video games, Mario, and Game Grumps as best he could for Mae. Surprisingly, she didn’t have as many questions this time, seemingly choosing to take all the information in stride. He prepared lunch for each of them (more raw fish for her, chicken nuggets for himself) as they sat back on the living room couch.

 

Mae carefully cradled a Nintendo Switch in her hands, swiping the screen to look at the list of games as Dan showed her a couple of Grumps clips on his phone. She giggled at Arin’s anger towards Mario Maker. “So, people just like watching you two play the games? They don’t wanna play with you?” she asked him.

 

Dan snorted. “Well, many fans have strong opinions about how Arin plays games...but we do live shows sometimes, where we play games for an audience, and we pull people on stage to play with us.”

 

Mae’s eyes widened in surprise. “How many people watch this show?”

 

Dan let the subscription numbers speak for him, showing her the ones for Game Grumps and NSP. She blinked. “Woah. That’s a lot of people...”

 

Dan chuckled. “Tell me about it.”

 

“So, you’re really famous then,” she said, a look of growing wonder on her face.

 

“Yeah, I guess I am.” Dan shrugged off the comment, pointing to an image of Mario on the screen. “So, I wanted to play this game with you and see how well you do. If you like it, anyway.”

 

“What kind of game is it?”

 

“It’s a racing game.” Her eyes lit up, causing Dan’s heart to skip a beat, and he smiled. “You said you love to race, so I thought you might like it. But it uses cars and motorcycles, no swimming.”

 

“Ah, so it’s cheating,” Mae joked, carefully handing the console back to Dan.

 

“Oh, there will be a ton of that, trust me.” He chuckled again as he got up to set up the Switch, turning on the TV. “This isn’t a usual racing game either. And it’s kinda an unspoken rule that whenever people play this, during the game, they aren’t friends anymore.”

 

Mae suddenly looked hurt in response. “What do you mean, ‘aren’t friends’?”

 

Dan just grinned and handed her a controller.

~

Even out of the water, Mae could race.

 

She wasn’t the best (nobody was going to be the first time they played a game) but after she had gotten the hang of Mario Kart 8, she began to defeat Dan regularly.

 

The first couple of campaigns were practice as they both reviewed the controls, courses, items, etc. Dan chose the vehicles to make things easier while Mae got used to looking at the screen. They each had enough of a struggle with the controllers, not custom made for people with webbed hands or oversized thumbs.

 

After some practice, Mae was passing Dan. Before that, he got a real dose of her understanding of human expletives.

 

“Fucking hell! Oh my God! Move, asshole!” And when she finished in 10th, “Son of a fucking bitch!”

 

“Looks like you understand the game now!” He openly laughed at her. “You learn those words from sailors?”

 

“Fuck you!” Mae shouted, although she began to giggle with him.

 

During one later race, she had somehow gotten into first, the finish line right in front of her. Right before her victory, Dan hit her with a red shell and passed right by her.

 

He was laughing his ass off at the replay, clutching his sides. She wasn’t. “ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!” she shouted, tossing the controller aside and folding her arms.

 

Dan kept laughing, leaning back on the couch. When he saw her face, he faltered a little. “Oh shit, you’re actually mad!”

 

“I was gonna win that one!” She huffed and pouted, looking at the scoreboard.

 

“Well Hell, can I get a win every once in a while too?!” Dan shot back. He kept on giggling, despite her glare. “Second place is still really good!”

 

“Second place is NOT-” Mae quickly stopped herself and let out a hard exhale, her face flushed. Dan just blinked at her and watched her slowly calm down. She shook her head with closed eyes, a small smile appearing on her face. “Second place is just fine. Congratulations on winning,” she said dejectedly.

 

Dan chuckled, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You won most of the time! I think we should take a break though- I’m kinda dizzy. Good game.”

~~~ ***

The rest of the day gently quieted down. You were taking one more swimming pool break as Dan attempted to also tidy up his bathroom, bedroom and the guest room for you.

 

There was a bubbly feeling building up in your chest. It felt so foreign- you couldn’t really place what it was. You swam anxiously back and forth to try and rid yourself of it, to no avail.

 

Then Dan walked out to greet you yet again, and you found that it somehow resolved itself.

 

He told you that he wanted to work on his music tonight. His eyes were serious when he made the announcement that it puzzled you quite a bit. You assumed he was always working on music, being his job and all. Why did that seem extra important now?

 

Hanging out on the couch for a third time, he sat next to you with a pen and a heavily scribbled-upon notepad on his thigh. Rush was playing in the background from the music room- he said that he often needed his tunes for inspiration, or to help him think.

 

You weren’t bothered, and you figured you could entertain yourself while he worked. He let you borrow The Last Unicorn, which you had open in your own lap, a water bottle next to you.

 

While you were trying to immerse yourself in the story, you could feel his eyes glancing at you every once in a while. After about twenty minutes, he asked, “Is this okay, Mae?”

 

You blinked at him. “Yeah, it’s fine. Thank you for everything again.”

 

You watched as his eyes softened again when he looked at you. Then he stared down at his notepad. “I...haven’t been inspired to work on new music in a long time. I had writer’s block for a while. I guess...meeting a mermaid and playing games with her helped me relax a bit. And, uh...I think I might be able to get some words down today.”

 

That feeling washed upon you again- this time thicker, like honey. “That’s great, Dan,” you said. You felt that you meant it. 

 

You both sat in silence for a minute, Dan tapping his shoe with the pen. Then he abruptly stood up and walked upstairs. When he came back down, he placed something on the coffee table in front of you. Another notebook. “Here. If you ever wanna write something too.”

 

Your mouth fell agape, the honey feeling seeping down to the tip of your fin. You felt like you were beginning to glow. “Dan...that’s...really thoughtful.” You set the novel down and picked up the journal, running your hand across the leather cover. “This looks like a really nice one...It’s wonderful.”

 

“You gave me a gift earlier, so yeah. Thought you might like this.” He smiled at you, and you thought you saw a glimmer of something somber for a moment.

 

“I do. I really do. Thank you so much...” Suddenly feeling like there was a spotlight on you, you opened the book, and picked up the pen. To be polite, you waited a bit with the journal, pen out and at the ready. You were actually meditating a bit, listening to Dan scribble some unknown lyrics next to you. You sensed he needed conversational silence. When you found that no words were coming to you, you gently set the journal back onto the table and continued to quietly read The Last Unicorn.

 

You don’t know when it happened. Neither of you seemed aware of it. But an unfamiliar comfort had swept over you, making you a little drowsy. 

 

After a few chapters, when you glanced up from the book, you realized that you could feel Dan’s breathing body on your back. You blinked. You were somehow lying horizontally across the couch now. Against him.

 

And he didn’t seem to mind at all, one of his arms over your shoulder and resting closely at your side.

 

Your entire face became hot. But you decided not to say anything to him.

 

If you mentioned it, he might move away. 

 

The feeling in your chest continued to swell until it was all around you.

~

After some time, you watched the sun go down behind the blinds. Even though the evening was young, you already felt yourself beginning to drift off.

 

You figured you should probably get ready for an early bedtime, whatever that entailed. Begrudgingly, you cleared your throat. “Dan?”

 

“Hmm?” You weren’t facing him from that angle, but you could practically see his eyes widen as he realized how close he was to you.

 

You suddenly felt several degrees colder as he swiftly pulled away from you. “Oh, sorry! I-I, uh-”

 

“You’re totally fine!” you said quickly, sitting up. The color in his cheeks didn’t escape your notice, even as it was fading. “I’m just falling asleep is all.”

 

“Oh, okay.” Your imagination told you that he sounded disappointed too. “Uh, do you want me to fix a bath for you? Or do you want the guest bed? Are you okay without dinner?”

 

“I’m not hungry, and I think I can fill the bath on my own, but thanks.” You glanced at his notebook. “Did you get a lot done?”

 

He softly smiled. “Oh, I dunno. It’s hard to tell sometimes.”

 

“Yeah.” Such was the nature of art. “Whatever it is, I bet it will be good.”

 

“I hope so.” You both sat in awkward silence for a bit, then he added. “Well, let me know if you need any help, and I’ll come up in a bit to double check.”

 

“Okay.” You had lost the rest of your words. “Goodnight Dan.”

 

His smile lit up your being. “Goodnight, Mae.”

 

He remained on the couch as you scooted over to the stairs.

~

The bathroom was now polished and neatly organized. You started the bath and picked up the toothbrush left out for you on the counter. You found yourself smiling and humming to yourself as you sat on the toilet seat and brushed your teeth. It had been a ridiculously good day.

 

You couldn’t seem to find your brush though. You opened all the drawers. Nothing. ~Where is it?~

 

In your moment of airheaded giddiness, you somehow had forgotten that this obviously was not your house.

 

You scooted into the bedroom and blindly opened the top drawer of the dresser, reaching an arm inside as you sat on the floor.

 

Your hand brushed against something too familiar. You grabbed it and pulled it out.

 

A blue, silky bra fell into your lap. 

 

Not yours. Not your room either. Dan’s room.

 

Your chest locked up immediately. Your stomach twisted as your world did a few somersaults, landing hard on its ass.

 

Oh.

~~~ ***

Dan thought he heard a sound from his room. He set his notebook down and quickly walked upstairs to his doorway. “Mae, are you-”

 

When he saw Mae on the floor with the bra in her hand, he completely froze.

 

Thinking back on it in the future, if he could go back in time and redo that moment, he would have a hundred times.

 

But he didn’t need to see another reminder that She had ever been in his life. 

 

Not after waking up night after night, fucking drowning in it!

 

He didn’t need to remember a happier time that he could never, ever have again.

 

But there was the hard evidence. Out in the open.

 

In a complete stranger’s hands.

 

He didn’t choose to be angry. But his dark eyes exploded into fire, his voice booming, shaking the room. “HEY!”

 

Mae was as still as a statue, her eyes wide as can be.

 

The next movements were a blur. Dan stormed to her, towered over her as he tightly grabbed her wrist with the same hand that had previously been resting at her side. “DON’T TOUCH THAT!”

 

He didn’t hear Mae squeal as he forcefully swiped the bra from her hand and let go of her, fuming as he stepped back.

 

He didn’t realize his mistake until he looked at her again. 

 

Mae had her arms crossed above her head in defense as she stared at the him. Her nails had elongated into deep red, sharp swords. Her entire body was shaking. Her eyes shone beneath the light.

 

His anger turned instantly into freezing cold remorse. He dropped the bra at his feet. “Ah, M-Mae...Mae, I-”

 

“GO AWAY!” She screamed back at him, bearing fangs that weren’t there a moment ago. She gave a fierce glare, even in her absolute fear. “STAY AWAY FROM ME!”

 

Dan couldn’t speak, emotion rising in his throat. He bit his lip, eyes glistening. Now he was terrified too. Very slowly, he stepped back, voice wavering. “I-I’m sorry...I don’t know…” He was practically whispering now.

 

I don’t know what came over me.

 

In another rush of movement, A torrent of water surrounded Mae and swept her into the bathroom, the door slamming and locking behind her.

 

Dan didn’t know what to do. He was consumed. He slid down the opposite wall and sat against it, just staring at his bed as a couple of tears fell into his lap. His arms were shaking too.

 

“...I’m sorry. I’m really sorry….” he said lamely to no one.

 

There was nothing else to say.

 

The bathwater shut off, and silence fell over the entire house.

~~~ ***

You were starting to feel something for Dan.

 

That much was clear now, only as the day was completely soured. How quickly a newfound bliss could turn on you. You sank to the bottom of the tub, as did the gem-like tears falling around you, nesting in your hair.

 

He couldn't have meant it. There was no way.

 

But God, it was frightening. 

 

In that moment, Dan had the same eyes.

 

The same ones as Him. 

 

You trembled and stayed hidden beneath the water in the dark.

~

A while later, you heard bits of his muffled apology one last time on the other side of the door. The sound of his defeated steps slumping back down the stairs.

 

Your thoughts began to spiral out of control.

 

Dan had a life you didn’t know about, and you were an interruption in it.

 

You were going to be a burden on him, just like anyone else you cared about.

 

He was one of your idols, and you were lying!

 

The truth made the decision for you. You just didn’t deserve good things. 

 

And you didn’t have a home anymore.

 

You couldn’t stay here. You would leave, tomorrow. 

 

So that was that.You tried to make it simple in your head. But then you body shook. 

 

The water splashed over the edge of the tub as you silently sobbed underneath the water. 

 

It couldn't fill the gaping hole in your heart.


	8. Cast Away (pt 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for following! It's been a busy summer for me, but I'm still reading other stories and writing when I can. I hope this is alright!
> 
> (I had some questions about posting content, actually. I'm not as familiar with Tumblr- do y'all put the stories you have here on there too? Or is Tumblr just better for short stories or one-shots only? I was thinking of putting my stuff elsewhere but I dunno other ff sites. Any recommendations? Thanks!)

(( Dan didn’t get to spend a lot of alone time with his girlfriend. Well on her way to becoming an Olympic gold medalist, she took her swim game very seriously. She did double team swim practices four times a week that were a couple of hours long each, packing meals and doing strength training in between. She usually had two days off a week for recovery, but Dan learned from the first encounter that Kendra was quite the socialite (if not simply one with a mind for business.) She intended to network with as many possible sponsors as she could muster to up her paycheck. (After all, other than medal wins, advertising was where the real money was made in Olympic sports.)

 

Dan might get four or so hours in with her in a week if he was lucky. Therefore, every minute was precious.

 

Luckily for him, she decided to take a week off in June. 

 

And one of the many things he loved about her was that she was always up to do something exciting.

 

“AAAAAGGGHHH!”

 

“AHAHAHA! WOO HOO!”

 

Dan thought the spinning was never going to end, until finally the Viper came to a stop, lurching them forward in the cart. He held his forehead as his eyes continued to roll behind his closed eyelids, but Kendra was laughing the whole way as she helped lift him out of the roller coaster seat and into the moving line of people. She pulled him by the hand, grinning back at him. “Come on, Curly Q! Food’s this way!”

 

“Okay, okay!” Dan said, slowly returning the smile. “But I might need a Dramamine with my funnel cake. I’m more of an old man than I used to be.”

 

“Alright, but you’d better not get tired and crap out on me- we aren’t even halfway done!”

 

The duo navigated through the center of the Six Flags, searching for the food court. Luckily enough for them, it was crowded and people were distracted enough not to recognize or approach either one of them. But Kendra still put her cap and shades back on, eager to evade any paparazzi.

 

They met Arin and Suzy at the court, got their meals and all sat down together at a table.

 

“So, I need to go over work stuff for a sec if that’s alright,” Arin said to them, taking a bite of the cake, dripping with chocolate syrup and whipped cream. 

 

Dan sat back. “Okay, shoot.”

 

“Well, actually it’s ‘after work’ stuff. I was thinkin’, after we do the Edinburgh trip next month, we both have a few weeks in between. You guys could both come to Japan with Suzy and me if you want,” Arin said, looking at the couple.

 

For a moment, Dan had his hopes up. Then Kendra gave a sigh as she stared at her phone screen. “I’m sorry babe, I’m gonna be booked for a while.” She threw him an apologetic smile. “But don’t stay home on my behalf.”

 

Dan took one of her hands. “I love Japan, but I’d love it way more if you could come. Your first time will be amazing.” 

 

“I know, but I have no idea when my next break is, probably at least six months from now. Maybe we could go next Spring.” Kendra threw a smile at Dan. “I’d like to see the cherry blossoms one day.”

 

“Oh you have to,” Suzy chimed in. “And the temples, and the food, and…”

 

Dan was about to throw out another idea when Kendra swore loudly at her phone. “God, seriously?!”

 

Everyone looked at her with concern. “What’s wrong?” Arin asked. But Dan already knew. 

 

Kendra threw her phone on the table, huffing. “Read the headline.”

 

It was a news article in some sports mag, probably international, as the name was unfamiliar. The bolded headline read “CAN CLARIS RIDE OUT THE NEXT WAVE?”

 

“You get silver or gold, you’re a winner. But you get bronze, nobody fucking cares.” She scooted the phone over to Arin and Suzy. “I bet they also mentioned what I ‘wasn’t wearing’ that evening. Jesus.”

 

Dan sighed and turned towards Kendra, placing a hand on her cheek to grab her attention. “Babe, that’s not even remotely true. Bronze medalists are fucking incredible, all medalists are, and they do get recognized. This is just some offhand, douchebag journalist who thinks he knows you. You shouldn’t even look at this crap, it’s just not true.” Even if he didn’t have as much fame as her, Dan knew all too well how important it was to distance yourself from toxic internet articles, forums or comments. To seal his argument, he gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead. “You’re so amazing, and yet, you have no idea.”

 

“This article isn’t even about me. It’s basically about how I’m not Lodeski.” Kendra tapped her fingers on the table impatiently. Seeing the awkward expressions on Arin and Suzy’s faces, she quickly shut off her phone and pocketed it. “Sorry, that was way rude,” she said, looking at them. “We all came here to have fun. My bad.”

 

Arin laughed it off, as he naturally could. “It’s all good, we can definitely relate to feeling shitty after reading some of the emails and comments we get...”

 

“Girl, do I have horror stories for you!” Suzy said with a laugh.

 

Kendra giggled with her and Dan sighed again, happy that that conversation was over. He let his mind wander a bit, eyes washing over Kendra’s face as she spoke to Suzy and Arin more about the coolest places in Japan. He noticed how the sunlight touched her hair, bringing out her golden highlights, making her head seem to glow with a halo. His own eyes softened.

 

~...You want gold, baby girl?~

Maybe I could give you gold someday. 

Under the cherry blossoms. ))

 

~~~***

 

When you awoke again, there were ripples of silver light swirling in the water above you, spilling in from beneath the bathroom door. The house was still quiet, save for a loud rumble from your stomach.

 

The small warning provided an incentive to leave the room that conveniently didn't have to touch your emotions. However, you did want to know if Dan was still asleep. And, as much as you didn't want to, you both needed to talk.

 

You slipped out of the water and dried yourself with your trick, then slid over to the door, opening it as quietly as you could. There was no need; the bedroom was dark but empty. You rode back down the stairs on a mini river, looking around for a tall, moppy-haired someone.

 

He didn't appear to be anywhere. "Dan?" You crossed all the rooms and looked into the backyard. Nothing. When you thought to look outside for his car, a flicker of something white on the coffee table in the living room caught your eye.

 

Next to the journal sat a little clear ashtray with a lighter next to it. In the tray, a fat, stale joint. Prepared hours ago, but left untouched. And next to that- his keys.

 

Now you were really concerned. "Dan, are you home!?"

 

There was a sound of shuffling from behind the front door, then a brisk knock.

 

You took a cautious peek out the window, blinds slightly open. There was the back of his wild head, the rest of him sitting on the front porch.

 

You slowly slid over to the door and opened it.

 

When your eyes crossed each other, there was a moment of silence. Dan looked like a wreck, face sleepy, rimmed in red with deep shadows beneath his eyes. You couldn't imagine you looked much better by the way he widened his gaze. "Mae..."

 

You didn't want to hear another apology. You gave him a pained smile. "I didn't lock you out of your own house, if that's what you think."

 

Dan just continued to stare, looking like an exhausted puppy. He was wearing his pjs and his white jacket.

 

You looked both ways outside. The sky was still light gray, the roads quiet. It seemed safe enough, so you slid out to sit next to him on the porch. You gave him some space in between you both- after all, you had threatened him too, and you felt a need to tread carefully.

 

As he looked you over, his stare became somber. "Mae..."

 

You didn't want him to start just yet. "Did you get any sleep, Dan? Were you stuck out here all night?"

 

He blinked and shook his head slowly. "Nono, probably just a couple hours...I left my keys on the table...and, well..."

 

~He didn't want to scare me again.~ You sighed, looking down at his hands. He had a book in his lap. There was a whale on the cover.

 

Now the smile you gave was a little more genuine. "Moby Dick? I bet that knocked you right out."

 

He looked down in surprise and gave a forced chuckle. "Oh, you've read it? I thought it would help with my insomnia. I guess it did."

 

~Probably a better choice than what you left in the living room.~ You knew Dan hadn't smoked pot in years, although he was a heavy user in his twenties. He must've felt awful lately to even consider trying again.

 

Another awkward silence. His face scrunched up again and you waited until he spoke. "Mae, last night...what I did was so, so far from okay, and..." His voice wavered. You felt stabbed as his bright, glistening eyes looked back at you. "I-I'm so sorry. How I reacted was terrible and I didn't mean to hurt you, or scare you. I'm...I'm not..."

 

You nodded, speaking quietly. "Dan, you..." Tread carefully. "You don't owe me any explanation. Don't worry about it, I'm okay now."

 

"No, I fucking grabbed you, and-" His eyes looked down at your fingers. "I scared the shit out of you, Mae. You were shaking like a leaf!" Dan gave a humorless laugh. "I wanted to show you that humans can be nice, and-"

 

"And you have been nice to me, kinder than anyone else ever has been," you said honestly, leaning closer to him.

 

You had a feeling Dan was an emotional guy by nature, but you never thought you'd see him this way. You thought about the bra. You didn't notice it lying anywhere this morning. ~Whoever she was, and whatever happened...~ You didn't like the mix of vibes you were getting one bit. You hated seeing him so distraught or angry. What could cause that?

 

You placed a hand on his and said what you thought he needed to hear most. "Dan, I could tell that that's not how you usually are. I can tell that you have a good heart." You sniffed and wiped your eye. Wait, when did you start crying again?

 

For a moment, you saw a young child peeking out from behind his tired eyes, afraid. Then he stared at his knees. "Mae, that's awfully sweet, but...but, um..." He bit his lip, voice becoming firm. "If...if you need to leave now in order to feel safe again, then I'll understand. I can take you back to a nice beach."

 

You felt like someone dropped a bowling ball from your chest to your gut. You knew where this was supposed to go. And yet, tears kept coming.

 

Time to rip off the band-aid, end this charade. You would at least look him in the eye as you did it. The words tumbled out of your mouth too fast. "I-I do have to leave today Dan, I do. But it's not because of you at all, and I mean that. I just need...to go back to the ocean. It's where a mermaid belongs, after all."

 

You both let that sink in. Then his gaze desperately searched yours for truth, and you wondered if there was something else there. Hope? It made you flinch with guilt. "But you said you didn't have anywhere to go. You said you didn't have a family, or they didn't like you or something because-"

 

"I was lying. They're...they're all out there, probably looking for me right now." Your tongue suddenly felt heavy. "I just didn't want them to get hurt by humans, so I lied. I'm sorry, Dan."

 

~No you aren't.~

 

He just stared at you, his mouth moving like a fish out of water as he tried to think a moment of what to say. Then he fell silent.

 

Very cautiously, as if asking permission, he lifted a hand to your face and wiped away one of your jewel-like tears. You closed your eyes a moment and relaxed into his hand. The pain you were holding back was bubbling back up, but his palm felt so warm and comforting on your cheek. You wished you could just stay there. That it didn't have to be this way. That you could give something back to him. But you were not a giver.

 

All you could offer was a smile. Time for the finale. Your throat was swollen. "Dan...thank you so much for sharing your home with me. You showed me a lot, and I had so much fun. I can't thank you enough, I really can't."

 

As he looked back at you, you thought he was gonna cry again. Instead, he forced a grin. "...Of course, Mae. You're so kind, and it's been so great having you here. And if you ever came back to land...you'd be welcome to visit. We could play more games together."

 

"I-I would like that..." You felt like you were going to disappear right in front of him. It felt alright and yet completely, incredibly wrong.

 

As another quiet moment descended, you watched Dan slump into gloomy acceptance. "Okay. Uh, so I just need to get dressed...and then we can go find you a safer beach," he said quietly. He stood up and held out his hand for you.

 

"...Sounds good, Dan."

 

That lie stung hard.

 

And then your stomach growled again, cutting through some of the tension. You looked away in embarrassment. "Um...can we eat lovely seafood on the way?"

 

~~~ ***

 

Dan wondered vaguely if he was still sleeping. Mae wasn't upset with him. But his fantastic visitor from the sea had to leave him already.

 

Was that the nature of meeting supernatural beings?

 

Or did he just fuck this up too?

 

As she waited for him in the downstairs hallway, Dan slipped on a Rush tee and his torn jeans and sneakers. He looked into the bathroom. He walked up to the bath and looked beneath the water.

 

A pile of rainbow gems covered the bottom.

 

He had thrown the bra away this morning.

This too, apparently.

He crouched down to drain the bath.

 

He knew that Mae told him not to touch, that they could somehow be dangerous, but he didn't care. Slowly, Dan dipped his hand into the water and pulled out a few of the gems. They felt like smooth, decorative stones, hard and cool.

 

He tucked them into his pocket before walking back downstairs.

 

If only he could keep those in life that were worth so much.

 

~~~ ***

 

You were surprised at how quiet Dan was on the way to Santa Monica. You silently ate slices of tuna he'd brought along for the ride, throwing sideways glances his way. He was completely focused on the road, his jaw firm.

 

You thought he was going to try to explain in detail what had happened last night. He was normally an open book type guy, or so you had thought from Game Grumps. But the car radio wasn't even on. You shifted around in the back seat, growing more uneasy by the minute.

 

The weather wasn't as stormy as yesterday, a light rain hitting the windows, but it was still cold and breezy. There were still a couple of shark warnings on the beach but not nearly as many as listed in Malibu.

 

Although it was also a highly popular beach, at this early hour and in this weather, the visitors were spaced out just enough for you to feel comfortable slipping past them. It wasn't that odd to be dressed as a mermaid on the beach- people did cosplay and photo shoots all the time. You didn't mind if people glanced at you from afar. But people staring too long, or wandering, curious children could pose a larger problem.

 

You tried to focus on avoiding people as Dan parked the car.

Certainly not the jittery feeling in your chest, your shortening of breath.

Or the fact that you had no fucking idea where you were going to go once you got back in the water.

Just leaving the world behind again.

 

"Mae?"

 

When you looked up, Dan was giving you a concerned look through the mirror. "Are you ready to go?"

 

"Uh, yeah."

 

He opened the back door. Your fin was wrapped up in a few towels so those far away couldn't see the reflection of light on your scales.

 

As he lifted you out and began to patiently pull you backwards along the sand, life took on a surreal quality. You felt like you were in a swiftly shrinking bubble. Figures on the beach became fuzzy, the sounds around you muddled. Dan was chatting here and there, but you didn't hear a word he'd said.

 

As the sound of the waves blanketed your back, the finality of the decision was dawning on you.

 

You didn't have a caring family of merpeople in the Pacific Ocean searching worriedly for their lost daughter.

 

Just one man.

 

And if He found you...

 

When you felt the freezing greeting of the first water beneath you, your whole body began to tremble.

 

~~~ ***

 

Dan thought he'd been rather cold in the car, but he really didn't know what to say anymore. He was never any good at goodbyes, he just wanted to be helpful in this situation. ~But she deserves a great send off, doesn't she?~ Any person would, and he probably wouldn't see another mermaid ever again in his life.

 

"You know Mae, meeting you and spending time with you yesterday was the most fun I've had in a long time," he said as he tried to gracefully guide her across the sand towards the water. "...I think I'm going to miss you."

 

She didn't say anything, which was painful, especially knowing how responsive she had been to him yesterday. But it was sort of expected, after his sudden outburst last night.

 

He tried to shrug it off, although something was beginning to feel really out of place. He tried again.

 

"I'm glad that you'll be able to return to your family..."

 

He was caught off guard when he felt her arms shaking. He let go suddenly, thinking he was at fault. He turned around to face her. "Mae?"

 

She was staring off into the vast ocean, beginning to breathe heavily as her whole body tensed up. Fresh tears were falling down her face.

 

Now Dan was really alarmed, his heart hitching in his chest. He crouched down in front of her, holding her shoulders as gently as he thought he could. "Mae?! Mae, hey, what's wrong?!"

 

She blinked and color returned to her as she reawakened. Now she seemed embarrassed as she stared back at him, flustered. "Dan, ah- I-I'm okay! I- I- I just-"

 

"You're scared," Dan said, eyes darting all over her, as if he would find some fresh wound. "You afraid of getting in the water?" What? Why...?

 

"N-no...nonono..." Mae shook her head at him but he felt it was really more to convince herself.

 

He didn't understand what was going on at all. "Mae, talk to me, please. What is scaring you? Is it me, or the people? Do I need to go now?"

 

"No, it's n-not you!" Mae said exasperatedly, her eyes seemingly pleading with Dan. She quickly began to emotionally dissolve right in front of him.

 

Dan felt awful as he watched her begin to cry. He slowly took her hand. He wanted to help her be strong somehow. Now he had to shout a little above the growing waves. "Mae, everything will be okay, I promise! This is the safest beach around here, and all you have to do is swim Northwest for a bit and then I'm sure your family will see you!"

 

That didn't help. Now she fully pulled away from him, miserably sobbing into her webbed hands.

 

But before that, he caught a glimpse of something in her eye. The same thing he saw in her last night.

 

He thought about what she had taught him about her mer-society.

 

And about how she had immediately gotten terrified and defensive when he had grabbed her. That was a normal reaction, except hers was...somewhat exaggerated. Dan had met other people who were like that. And he knew exactly why.

 

That was it. Like a missing puzzle piece, it clicked into place for Dan. He took both of her hands in his. Something dark was slowly stirring in his gut. "Mae, did somebody threaten to hurt you?! Are you in trouble with the merpeople?!"

 

She dropped her hands, staring back at him. The look in her eye gave him the answer. She seemed internally conflicted. And then more quivering words slipped from her lips as she fought her feelings. “I’ll be okay, I’m just...there’s...there’s this guy, a-and…”

 

“A guy?” The picture was coming together. Dan put his arms around Mae again. “Here, let’s just step back a minute!”

 

He pulled her back from the water, midway up the beach before sitting next to her in the sand. 

 

After a moment, he spoke gently to her, trying to get her to open up. But he knew it couldn’t be rushed. “Mae, please tell me what is going on, I just want to help you. Are you really going to be okay out there? Does your family even know where you are?”

 

She was just staring down at the towel in front of her. Dan thought she looked pretty broken. And then, very quietly, she mumbled to him. “Dan...I’m not a good person.”

 

He frowned at her. “What makes you say that?”

 

Her eyes seemed darker. Jaded. “I...I worked for a man. A merman- a very, very strong siren. His name is M-Michael…” She looked up at him defeatedly. “...And there’s no one out there looking for me, except for him.”

 

Dan took Mae’s hand tightly in his. His heart was thumping loudly in his chest as dread begin to spill over him. He asked, even knowing the answer. “Did...did he…?”

 

Mae was silent again for a moment. Then, wiping her face again, she whispered. “The...my wounds from when you found me…”

 

Dan’s eyes widened. 

 

“...they weren’t entirely f-from the sharks.” She looked away from him.

 

Dan exhaled loudly, something lighting ablaze inside him. Swiftly, almost not by decision, he got up. Taking Mae into his arms, he began to tug her back up the beach.

 

Mae shook her head, lightly resisting him. “Dan- D-Dan this is my problem, a-and-”

 

“No!” Dan thought his insides were going to fry with how angry he felt. He took Mae’s shoulders and stared at her. He didn’t want her to be any more frightened of him, but she needed to understand this. “Mae, if that’s all really true, then there’s no way in Hell I’m leaving you here! We’re going back,” he said firmly, then continued to lift her back to his car.

 

Mae seemed to accept this, her body softening under his arms.

 

~~~

 

He tried not to slam the doors as he got in and started up the car. Dan’s insides were fire and ice, fuming, dancing. He wanted to punch a wall. He wanted to strangle someone. Or cry some more.

 

But, more importantly, he needed her to feel better.

 

Dan turned and looked back at Mae. He was beginning to sense that something larger was at play. Something hidden away, beneath the ocean. “Why did you lie?” he gently asked her.

 

Mae continued to stare at her hands as she mumbled. “I just...Michael could really hurt you. He can hurt anyone. I don’t…” she looked pained. “I don’t want to bring all of that to you, Dan. I never wanted this, and...fucking hell...” she sighed. “Dammit...this isn’t how this was supposed to go…”

 

Dan paused. Then, he looked her in the eyes, his own glistening. “Mae, I promise you, I’m never going to hurt you again. I’m so sorry about last night. Let’s just go home, and figure this out together okay? You will be safe there, I promise you, safer than anywhere else. Okay?” 

 

He awaited her answer, almost holding his breath. 

 

Mae just nodded.

 

“Say it, Mae, please. I need to hear it from you.” ~Let me help you.~

 

She blew out a sigh. “Okay! Okay, Dan. I’m just...sorry. Really sorry." She just looked out the window, ignoring his gaze.

 

That was enough. Dan put the car into drive and sped out of the parking lot, away from Santa Monica.

 

He would’ve felt alright if he never had to see another beach again in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Grumps coming soon! <3


	9. Cast Away pt. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Sorry for the late updates, as usual. I'm about to be swamped with school too so this fic might be pretty slow, and I apologize, but I'm very glad it's being followed!
> 
> This is kinda an oddly flavored chapter but I hope you like it! 
> 
> And lemme know what you honestly think of Mae so far too- This is my first time using a spotlight OC and I want to try and avoid unnecessary cringiness. Thanks again!

(( Your father wouldn’t let go of your hand as you lay in the long hospital bed. The beeping of someone's heart rate monitor next door filled the silence between you both. You looked out the window at the giant city buildings, the polluted haze a persistent blanket over the entire area. You noticed the trees the most, lightly swaying in the breeze. Vibrant green-yellows, waving up at the sky.

 

They were deeply rooted, and yet they all seemed happy.

 

You refused to acknowledge the pale walls around you, graying shadows cast on every sterile surface, your father’s  
dull eyes. You wouldn’t see the tears that held no hope.

 

The window was your only comfort here.

~

 

Mr. ____ stopped in the waiting room to get some air and browse the vending machines. He sat down in a plastic chair, chin resting on his bundled fingers.

 

He sat like a guarding golem, waiting for Dr. Christiansen to return.

 

The older man walked towards him and shook his hand, a solemn look on his face. Your father nodded and they reentered the hospital room. 

~

 

Dr. C sat across from you and flipped through some charts, placing x-rays against a backlit screen on the wall. “The good news,” he muttered, “is that this is a milder case so to say, and despite the genetic markers, you don’t appear to have any mental impairments. Your sense organs are just fine.” He pointed to some squiggles on the x-ray. “See how thin the corpus callosum is? That’s typical though…”

 

Your father cleared his throat impatiently. “A mild case of what, Doctor? What’s the verdict?” He squeezed your hand. Part of you wanted him to let go.

 

Dr. C looked at you from behind his spectacles. “It’s one of the possibilities we discussed last visit- HSP. Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia. In this case, paralysis from the waist down. Not all children exhibit symptoms, although ____ carries the main gene.” The way the doctor’s eyes scanned you made you feel like an creature in a zoo. He had never seemed so cold to you before- the building itself seemed to place a clouded filter over everything. He looked at your father. “It’s carried on the X chromosome - did her mother have anything similar to this?”

 

“____’s mother was very sick in a lot of ways…” The grovel in your dad’s voice was becoming warm coals. “What do we do next, Doctor? What can we do to fix this?”

 

The doctor’s eyes fell to his paperwork. “Well, HSP is an autoimmune disease- there is no cure per say, but there are life changing medications that will slow the process and ways to help ____ keep her strength and range of motion-”

 

“Talk to my daughter directly, she’s right here,” Your father said sternly, his eyes beginning to glitter with annoyance. He seemed to have read your mood.

 

“Ah, I’m sorry.” Dr. C turned to you. “Do you have any questions right now, ____?”

 

You couldn’t speak. You moved your attention back to the window.

 

“...I’ll leave a booklet with your dad, it has a lot of useful information and can help answer a lot of questions…”

 

There was some deep explanation after that but you had stopped listening. Pointless words filling up this stale air. Suffocating you.

 

At some point, both of them left the room.

 

You listened to the chirp of birds for a few minutes. Your eyes wandered to your toes, peeking out from the thin, blue blanket.

 

Try as you might, they would not move.

 

Tears sprang to your eyes. You remembered that bright, electric pain, the sciatica plucking your nerves like chords. It jolted through your entire being- it was the worst pain you had ever felt in your life.

 

Between each flare up, there had been tiny spaces, musical rests. Just enough for you to wade through water, or take a few steps.

 

You would have killed to feel that fire again, fought it as you forced your tensed muscles to swim another lap. You thought about your swim team. 

 

Eyes feel back to your feet. Still no movement. You squeezed them shut.

 

No more sand...or grass...fuzzy socks…

 

Arms shaking with fury, you screamed as loudly as you could, pounding your fists into the bed.

You hoped you woke the entire hospital from its fucking pitiful stupor. ))

~~~

 

The couch seemed to be the “go to” safety net, Dan planting you there again with pillows and your gallon of water, draping a light blanket over you. You flicked your tail, fighting the sense that he was suddenly babying you. You watched as he hastily grabbed the ashtray and set it in some closet behind you before sitting next to you. His eyes showered you in concern. “Are you comfortable there?”

 

Although you had gotten plenty of sleep, you could see that Dan was still spent, looking frazzled. You felt responsible, as though you’d completely sapped him of energy as he had carried you across the beach yet again. Your eyes softened as you peered into his chocolate ones. “I’m good, Dan. Thank you,” you said gently. 

 

You glanced at the window, blinds partially open. The deja vu didn’t escape your notice. “But...there is one more thing you can do for me,” you insisted, looking back at him. 

 

“Anything,” he said with an exhale, seemingly in earnest, and you felt your heart flutter a moment. You threw him a tired smile and gestured for him to move closer to you. He got confused. “Wh-”

 

“Just com’ere, Dan.” You said firmly. Blinking at you, he scooted closer to you.

 

In a couple of swift motions, you simultaneously slid off the couch and pulled a ‘rope’ of water from your bottle, using it to push Dan backwards onto the couch, his head against the pillow. As he gasped in surprise, you withdrew the water. He was astonished. “Wh- what the-”

 

You couldn’t help but giggle at him now. You threw the blanket over him. “I’m gonna need you to sleep.”

 

He suddenly looked innocent as he perched himself on his elbow, giving a laugh. “Wh- Mae, I’m fine, you’re my guest, and-”

 

“And anyone who says they’re fine is full of shit. You’ve done plenty for me, now I wanna help you. It’s just a nap.” Thinking for a moment, you hesitantly added, “I’ll even sing for you, if that’s what you want.”

 

You saw something excited spark in Dan’s eyes. He gave that some thought, then a small smile. “Mae...you don’t have to…”

 

“It’s effortless for me. You wanted to hear me sing, and I can help your insomnia a little bit. Just for an hour or so at least? I’ll try out the journal you got me while I wait,” you pushed. You hoped your own smile was assuring.

 

Something unsure and unknown crossed Dan’s face. Then, he lightly giggled. “This isn’t really negotiable, is it?”

 

“Nope,” you said, smile becoming warmer. “You’re stuck there now.”

 

Dan rested his head on the pillow, resigning to his fate. “Alright, but...can I hear the whole song before I fall asleep?”

 

You figured you could do that. “Yes, you can, although you might not exactly recall it later...” You sat up in front of him. “It might feel weird at first, like tingly, but then you should be relaxed, ok? It’s pretty much like hypnosis. Now, are ‘you’ comfortable?”

 

He giggled again. “You’re making the whole ‘being a good host’ thing really hard for me.” 

 

“It’s a talent I have,” you said with a grin. “Goodnight, er, day Dan. See ya in a bit.”

 

“What will you sing for me?” he lightly asked.

 

He’d be completely entranced, so the song choice didn’t matter. After a moment of thought, you cleared your throat. “It won’t have the instrumentals or harmonies it really needs, so sorry for that…”

 

You thought of one of the songs your mother used to sing to you. It didn’t match the season, but you thought it went with the mood of the morning. You opened your mouth and began a gentle melody.

 

[ All the leaves are brown (the leaves are brown)  
And the sky is grey (and the sky is grey)  
I've been for a walk  
On a winter's day (on a winter's day)  
I'd be safe and warm  
If I was in L.A. (if I was in L.A.)  
California dreamin'  
On such a winter's day ]

 

A small moan escaped Dan’s lips, involuntarily lighting up your insides again. You gulped, watched as his eyes glossed over, a golden sheen over them. His entire body slacked, his expression becoming pleasantly mesmerized, as though he was drunk or high. He just smiled at you, the way a child might look seeing the stars for the first time. It made you feel empowered in a ‘weird’ way- your stomach was doing little flips, face warming as he watched you closely. Internally, you shook your head at yourself. ~It’s just singing, nothing more…~

 

You wondered how your voice sounded to him. From what you were told, it was completely different for everyone depending on what was in their heart, whatever that meant. Some people heard beautiful opera, others something more casual, or a mourningful lament, sometimes even in different accents or languages. You continued to sing, moving closer to him. You assumed your sound wasn’t so bold. But something stirred in your heart as you sang. Maybe you had missed it more than you thought. Or at least this song.

 

[ Stopped into a church  
I passed along the way  
Well, I got down on my knees (down on my knees)  
And I pretend to pray (I pretend to pray)  
You know the preacher like the cold (like the cold)  
He knows I'm gonna stay (knows I'm gonna stay)  
California dreamin'  
On such a winter's day… ]

 

You watched as Dan’s eyes began to droop, his mind drifting between the notes. 

 

[ If I didn't tell her  
I could leave today (I could leave today)  
California dreamin’  
On such a winter's day... ]

 

As you finished the final chorus, he let out a long exhale. His melted gaze was fixed on you, even as he fought to keep his attention. “M-Mae…” He whispered, blinking.

 

You stopped singing, warmth filling up your chest. If only he could be genuine in this moment...but he was still so sweet this way. You gave him one more smile. “Rest now, Dan.”

 

As his eyes closed, you heard him mumble something. “That was...mmmh…”

 

You watched as he sighed, gliding gently into sleep. You wondered how long it had been since he had peaceful rest. Feeling that comfortable flower blooming in your heart, you sat back on the rug and grabbed the leather journal and the pen from the table, opening it to a blank page.

 

Outside in the quiet rain, the trees continued to reach upwards, birds chirping their daily songs to each other. It made for good background noise as you began to write.

~~~ ***

 

Dan had been unable to speak during the drive home, giving time to allow his simmering insides to calm down. Each time he glanced at Mae in the rearview mirror seemed to help quite a bit.

 

He had questions, of course. ~Who is Michael? What has he done?~ And, even worse, ~What type of ‘work’ did Mae do for this fucker?~ But it wasn’t like Dan could just ask her to openly explain her abusive situation to him. 

 

Abuse - that was clearly what had happened to her. Even if she only got hurt once, that was enough to frighten her to death. Dan gripped the steering wheel hard as he drove.

~~~

 

There was something almost pleading in Mae’s eyes as they both sat on the couch together. 

 

And then she had him wrapped up in his blanket and told him she could sing for him. Mae, the terrified one, offering to help him sleep.

 

Anyone else would have seen the red flags; a siren wanting to sing to a human could only spell trouble. Except that Dan didn’t feel threatened at all. He could see that tired glint in her eyes, probably the same one he had- one that spoke of wanting to help another person simply because you could do so.

 

Then her smile engulfed the room like warm summer rainfall, and he knew that he was ensnared today.

 

Anticipation bubbled up in his chest as he thought about listening to a real siren song. Something a little lower in his gut stirred, and he found himself eager to hear the first notes, so desperate to finally have some rest without falling into another nightmare.

 

She threw him another grin, and when she parted her lips, his own breath caught in his throat.

 

The world fell away. Dan felt as though he was floating somewhere between his body and the music itself. He cascaded through an immense sense of growing elation that was lightly seasoned in a bittersweet undercurrent. He couldn’t help but groan as every fiber of his being melded into the tune.

 

Then he focused his gaze on her and felt that his heart might rupture from how beautiful she was; light from the window gave Mae’s whole body a soft radiance that reflected rainbows from the specks of crystalline that ran down her tearstained face. She looked like a maiden in an oil painting, an angel of God.

 

Dan had the fragmented thought that maybe this was pure joy. ~Is this purpose?~ To become the music with Mae? Or to hold her close, laugh with her, cry, never let go? 

 

But Dan couldn’t move. Soon, he thought, maybe there wasn’t any real ‘him’ to be found. Life was only a melody, after all. The truth had finally been revealed.

 

When Mae stopped singing, he too became the rest, just as intended. Before he drifted off, he received one final blessing that was held in her gaze. “Mae...that was…”

 

Enough. He felt complete as his body sank deeply into the couch.

 

~~~

 

Sometime later, Dan was forcefully yanked out of the darkness by the ring of his doorbell. He jolted upwards, the blanket falling to the floor. He looked around groggily. Mae was by the window, whispering something, her eyes wide. “Dan- I think your friend is here.”

 

Dan blinked a few times, then stood up. Before he could check the blinds, the bell went off a few more times, and Barry’s voice called from the other side- “Dan, you home?!”

 

Shit. Barry was supposed to be back on Wednesday. Dan gave Mae a look and pointed upstairs, mouthing ‘Sorry’. She nodded and, with a river of water, carried herself up the stairs.

 

When he heard the guest bedroom door shut, Dan walked to the entrance and opened the front door.

 

Barry gave him a huge grin, a backpack over his shoulder and two bags of luggage at his side. “Thanks, man! Sorry, my hands were full. Can you help me for a sec?”

 

“Yeah, sure.” Feeling slightly nervous, Dan walked out and began to help Barry unload his car. They carried all the bags back upstairs, down the hall to the second door on the left, Barry’s bedroom. While they were working, Dan asked, “Back so soon?”

 

“Yeah, We were waverunning all day yesterday on Lake Washington with Sam’s parents, and everything was good, but then later at dinner, I was getting some weird vibes from her dad.”

 

“Yikes, that sucks, man.”

 

“Yeah, well, par for the course, I guess.” Barry placed some bags on his bed and turned to face Dan. “What have you been up to?”

 

~Oh, you know, just saving a mermaid from the unknown perils of the ocean.~ Dan stumbled with his words, taking a second to remember what he told Arin. “I- uh- So I have an unexpected visitor. My cousin Mae is staying here for a bit.” Dan bit his lip in uncertainty.

 

“Oh yeah? Do I know her?” 

 

“Probably not, she’s from Debra’s side. She needed a place after graduating and already asked my parents, but their house is full of Dana’s kids, so they asked me for help.”

 

Barry took this in stride. Dan felt lucky to have a pretty mellow roommate. “Okay, cool. Do you know how long she’s staying?”

 

“I don’t, actually...it’s a little up in the air. Sorry.” 

 

Barry shrugged. “I’m not worried or anything, it’s your house too. Just lemme know if I need to make fridge space, or something.” He turned back to unload his clothes from a bag. “What is she studying?”

 

“Uh...m-marine biology, I-I think. Something like that,” Dan awkwardly stammered.

 

Barry just nodded. “That sounds cool. Oh- Arin texted me, he invited me out to sushi for dinner. You guys can come too if you want.”

 

“Okay, we’ll think about it. Mae might need sleep after her flight,” Dan said, standing by the door, peering down the hallway in his periphery.

 

“Right.” Barry looked over everything in his room and sighed before throwing the luggage bag closed. “I need a break- I’m gonna hang downstairs for a while.”

 

Dan knew that meant Barry was gonna lock himself in the gaming room, at his desk. “Alright, lemme know if you need anything. Good to have ya back,” he said with a small smile. 

 

Barry returned it. “Good to be back. Oh, can you go make sure my trunk is closed? Thanks.”

 

Dan ran back downstairs as fast as he could without tripping, going out the door. When he walked back inside, he noticed the journal he gave Mae was on the floor. Curiously, he picked it and opened it.

 

There was only one short poem, written in clean, neat handwriting. Dan raised an eyebrow and read it silently to himself.

 

[ Cast Away

And I knew it then  
that I was really lost in this blue

As the blood rushed to my head  
I realized how much that it was true

And nobody cared!  
Cuz I was in a separate boat for two

But you weren’t there,  
You drowned from binds that couldn’t be unglued

I’ll write the S.O.S. in sand  
Because this island isn’t mine  
And wait for every ship to crash  
Cuz to your love, I have no right ]

 

A pensive expression appeared on Dan’s face. ~Hm. Looks like I might have myself an ameteur songwriter,~ he thought before placing the journal back on the coffee table. Behind him, Barry walked downstairs and went down the hall next to the kitchen. Dan turned and quickly went back upstairs to make sure she was ok. He knocked before entering the guest room.

 

Mae looked up at him from atop the bed, her tail lighting flickering. He gently shut the door behind him and stood next to her with his hands in his pockets. His lips were a firm line, his brow furrowed. “Barry wasn’t supposed to be back this early. I’m really sorry about this…” Crap. Now what?

 

Surprisingly, Mae didn’t seemed as worried about it as she was yesterday. “He seems nice. He invited both of us to dinner…” She stared pensively at the door.

 

Dan sighed, now feeling extremely guilty. “Mae…” He didn’t know what to do for her, now that Barry was back. Would he just keep her locked away in his bathroom like some animal? Shit. This was becoming more difficult. “I, uh...I dunno exactly how everything is gonna work around here now. I mean, I know Barry’s schedule, so there would be times where we have the house to ourselves, but he could walk in without warning. Plus, there’s weekends to worry about. He could figure out your secret, unless-”

 

“Unless I stay hidden away,” she supplied, looking back at him. She shifted anxiously.

 

Dan sighed again, taking a seat on the bed. “And that’s not fair to you at all...maybe we can come up with some way to, like, I dunno...hide you in plain sight?” Mae chuckled darkly at the comment. “Okay, not that. What can we do, then?”

 

Mae sat in contemplation a moment. “Well...I suppose if I was in big trouble...then I could just make him forget he saw me,” she said with her forced nonchalance, sitting up.

 

A jolt ran up Dan’s spine, a taste of instinctual fear. ~You should be more careful…~ When he saw that the somber glint was still in Mae’s eyes, he pressed the thought down. Her heart wasn’t really in it. However, he wanted to know. “Can a siren really do that? Erase a memory?”

 

“A siren song can make humans do almost anything, Dan. That’s why the Pacific merpeople banned singing.”

 

He was trying to ignore it, but Dan’s stomach was beginning to curl. ~So Mae really can do whatever she wants with me…~ His mind wandered. What if she was already doing something to him? Even right now? What had happened before he fell asleep? He couldn’t remember, now that he thought about it. He glanced at her nervously, suddenly feeling both jittery and shameful at the thought.

 

Seeing his expression, Mae folded her arms. “I already told you, I don’t want to hurt anyone with my voice. And toying with memory is honestly a bad idea. But even if you were under my spell now, I wouldn’t let you be aware of the fact.”

 

“That’s exactly what you would want me to think!” Dan said with a giggle and a smile, trying to lighten the mood a little.

 

Mae couldn’t help but laugh a little, although she held her palms up and remained serious. “Okay, so...listen, Dan. All I have to give you is my word. So...now that you finally realize that I am, in fact, very dangerous to you or your friend, what are you going to do?”

 

~What?~ What the heck was that supposed to mean? He brought her back here already, right? He knew that Mae was not as simple as previously thought, but Dan’s emotions were beginning to scatter. ~Man, does she want my help, or just punishment?~ Although everything she said was true, this felt like some sort of test question.

 

He thought about what she’d said on the beach and scooted closer to her, lowering his voice. “Why did you tell me that you are a bad person?” he quietly asked.

 

Dan saw her breath catch as he looked her in the eye. His heart was thumping hard as she glanced down at her lap. “Dan…”

 

He knew it was hasty, but Dan needed to know now. “It has to do with this Michael guy, right?” The name suddenly felt like venom on his tongue, to be spat out with disgust.

 

Mae had a fearful look again before she collected herself, speaking quietly. “Yes, it does.” She bit her lip. “Um, I...I worked for a complete madman, Dan. And he did some really awful things. So...I’m not so good either.”

 

They both paused and Dan exhaled. His words escaped him, although his thoughts were contrarian.  
~No, you…~  
“Please tell me who he is, Mae. I need to know.”

~~~ ***

 

The walls towering above your heart were already beginning to crumble while you were with Dan. His genuine concern was making it much too easy, potentially hazardous even.

 

But after placing him in such a vulnerable state of being, you felt that you couldn’t lie about Michael. The fact that Dan trusted you at all in this situation was just mind blowing.

 

First, you decided to give him a short history lesson and tell a story. 

 

\---  
Nobody alive today knew exactly where all merpeople had originated from, only that it was somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. It had supposedly been a great capital city that had complete control over the entire Atlantic population.

 

Along the way, natural disagreements formed There was a fraction of the capital that wanted to move to the East and begin their own settlements. Part of the faction were excellent magicians, their line of ancestry now affectionately known as The Elders.

 

These wizards were charismatic and influenced the opinions of many people in the Capital. One day, they did form a small pod and traveled East into the Pacific.

 

The Capital leaders allowed the Pacific group autonomy for a while. But later on, they decided that they did not want to share leadership. Foolishly, they tried to gain back power over the group that had traveled to the Pacific, to try and keep their authority over the oceans.

 

It was a plan destined to fail; after only a couple of years, The Elder’s pod had already multiplied and conquered the entire Pacific Ocean. They had established themselves as a society, even gaining a few followers from the Atlantic.

 

I don’t know all of the details, but there was a huge war. The Atlantic suffered a great loss and many of their pod lost faith in their leadership.

 

I don’t think anyone knows what happened to those leaders or the Capital, but for now, there’s no longer a central authority located in the Atlantic. There are only “tribal” pods, individual groups that consistently contest those territories around them.  
\---

When you paused, Dan still had his gaze on you, listening with a look of wonder on his face.

 

“So, Michael is...a merman with, uh...larger goals, I guess. It was hard for anyone to completely understand him, because he’s insane. He came from the Pacific pod like the rest of us, but he is magically pretty strong. He wanted to become an Elder, but they saw right through him and rejected his request.”

 

You looked Dan in the eye, twiddling your fingers. “From the little I know, Michael is a narcissist who has illusions of grandeur. I think he wants to like…’fix’ society.” You couldn’t help but give a sore laugh. “I know, it sounds so cliche. He told me he liked the way the Atlanteans led their people, except nobody one hundred percent agrees on what that even means now. He never fit in completely with the Pacific pod. Unfortunately, I had already begun working for him before I learned who he really was.”

 

You saw Dan gulp. “What...did you do for him?” he quietly asked.

 

You looked away. “At, first, I thought we were just making normal food supply deliveries, although they were going across to the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.” You bit your lip. “But Michael...he really admired the Atlantic merpeople’s use of siren song against humans. Like many traditional merpeople, he thought he was superior to humans. To gain respect in the West, he taught some pods new hunting magic and helped them...pirate from humans.” Your hands began to lightly tremble. “A l-lot of cargo ships were destroyed, and i-innocent people died…”

 

Dan’s voice was almost a whisper, eyes wide. “And...did you…?”

 

You exhaled. “No, I didn’t participate in that. But I found out lot of the packages were full of what looked like weapons. And I saw a lot of...what happened.” When you looked back at him, your eyes were wet.

 

You hated how Dan’s mouth was agape, his eyes washing over you, filled with hurt and some confusion. Sure, you’d probably fed him a more than he was prepared to chew, and you really didn’t want anybody's pity or sympathy, but he took your hand in his and squeezed it gently. “Mae...my God. I’m so sorry…” He seemed conflicted. “So...where were the Elders in this? Or, I dunno, the community? Did you try to get help from them? I mean, a government should protect its own people.”

 

You shrugged. “I was in Michael’s group, and they saw that he was trouble, so they wanted nothing to do with him. When they found out he was trying to gain more friends in the Atlantic, they were completely infuriated. They came to him in person and threatened him with the entire Pacific army if he didn’t cease his actions. Michael backed down and they banished both of us anyway, to the very edge of the main territory. I don’t know if he’s still making deals or not.

While he was mourning his losses, I made a couple of attempts to leave, and…” your voice trailed off.

 

Dan looked at the bedspread, trying to process all the information. He remained quiet, organizing his muddled thoughts. “Okay, so...did he try...to “fix” you somehow?” You felt some things were better left unsaid. Dan pressed further. “And nobody thought to warn you that this guy was dangerous?”

 

You gave him a humorless smile, careful in your answer. “He...got to me first, Dan. I know that might be hard to understand. But powerful men...they’ll take what they want anyway, if they can. He was...convincing, at the time.”

 

Dan blew out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. You felt pretty bad, seeing him overwhelmed. “Jesus Christ…and you’re positive that this asshole is still after you? He can’t get some other assistant or whatever? And your leaders really didn’t help at all? Or anyone?” he asked incredulously.

 

You nodded. “Nobody will trust me now. Before all the chaos, it was nice while it lasted. Being in the pod, I mean.” Your tongue felt bitter in your mouth. “I guess I don’t know for sure if he is still looking for me...but he had...a weird obsession with me. And he’s one of those people who doesn’t like to lose what he thinks belongs to him.”

 

The air became tangibly thicker as you both sat still on the guest room bed. You hated that too.  
~Awesome, Mae. Once a burden, always a burden...~

~~~ ***

 

Dan’s thoughts were swimming, feelings flying way over his head. He stared at the ceiling a moment as he pieced the story together.

 

Now, not only were there such things as mer-societies, but they also had fucking wars with each other too? And apparently, Mae had been the servant of some kind of crazy, wannabe warlord. It sounded more and more ridiculous as he repeated it in his head. Although, thinking about history in general...it was something that could happen to a human. Dan scanned her face. ~I have...a mermaid refugee?~ And her own people had done nothing to help. The Dick Elders could go to Hell, then.

 

Mae had to have been telling him the truth; she was clearly terrified of Michael. One thing she’d said stuck out to Dan. ~Powerful men...they’ll take what they want, anyway, if they can.~

 

A sour taste was forming in his mouth. What did she think of him, then? Was Dan a total creep of a human for taking her home? Was he making her trauma worse? He didn’t even know where to begin on that front. But...when he’d grabbed her…

 

“Dan? You ok?”

 

He glanced back at her, realizing he had zoned out for a bit. He saw brightness in her eyes, worry on her brow. ~Despite all of that...she wanted to help me sleep.~

 

‘Now that you know...what are you going to do?’

 

Dan was going to remain true to his original convictions. It felt like the right thing to do, he was sure of it.

 

He slowly slipped a hand atop hers, throwing her a small smile. “I’m good, Mae. And so are you. I mean, you aren’t bad.” He squeezed her hand. “You just got stuck with a bad person. As long as you wanna be here, we’ll figure out everything with Barry, and work. I... don’t want you to think that you’re-”

 

Dan’s thought was interrupted as there was a knock on the door. “Hey, you guys?”

 

Mae grabbed the bedspread and threw it atop herself as Dan stood up abruptly, but the door didn’t move. “Yeah, Bar?”

 

“Didja decide if you wanna go get sushi later?”

 

Dan glanced at Mae a minute as both of them froze. He opened his mouth to reply, when she surprised him with an energetic answer. “Sure, we can go! It’s just, um...some of my belongings unfortunately got lost on the way here. Like, uh...my clothing stuff!”

 

~What?!~ Dan stared at Mae in total disbelief. He mouthed at her, ‘What are you doing?!’

 

Barry was sympathetic. “Oh damn, that really sucks. I hate it when airlines lose luggage. Well, it’s not ‘til six anyway, if you need to make a trip to Target or something. We were gonna go to Kumadori- sound good?”

 

“That…” Dan just stared at Mae, panicking. ~Why?~ But she was calm, motioning with her hand for him to wrap it up. In a forced, jovial tone, he answered, “Sounds great, Barry!”

 

“Alright then, See ya both later.” They both paused and listened as Barry walked back downstairs.

 

Dan turned to Mae, raising his hands quizzically. “Why did you do that?”

 

She was giving him a knowing look. “I...won’t keep you away from your friends, Dan. So...it looks like I’ll have to hide in plain sight, after all.”

 

Slowly and sheepishly, Mae closed her eyes and pulled back the bottom third of the blanket.

 

Dan loudly gasped. Mae’s tail had split into two ruby-scaled legs, complete with long, finlike feet. As he watched, leftover water pooled into a floating ball and her feet began to shrink, becoming webbed toes.

 

He was so astonished that he stumbled back onto the bed. “Y-you have legs too?!”

 

She opened her eyes and shushed him lightly. “Ssshh...Now, if I’m careful and stay hydrated, we could have another fun evening.” She threw him a guilty smile. “I’m really sorry for all this, Dan.”

 

He couldn’t help but laugh at the world, his tired head still spinning.

 

Life just kept getting weirder and weirder, with his new, fishy friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Mae's poem is actually the beginning of one of my old poems from high school- it's intended to be something relatable for her rather than just a shameless self insert. >.< Anyway, it's an original poem and I trust people to ask me before using it, if that were ever to occur. Thanks!
> 
> *Also, the song is California Dreamin' by The Mamas and the Papas.


	10. ANNOUNCEMENT - ON HIATUS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Court of the Dragon here. I have had a really long, difficult week and it's only Tuesday, so I thought I'd drop this announcement for everyone.

First of all, you shouldn't become an adult, it really fucking sucks. :P I haven't had a whole lot of time to write between full time school and work (which may become two jobs in the future!)

I really, really want to finish this story in the future, I do have a plot for it, but I'm just not sure when that will be at all right now. Life is up in the air.

If y'all read Brand New, then some of my followers know that I had one (actually three) major surgeries last year and that often made it difficult to write, but I got through it because I was passionate about getting that particular story finished. 

I'm cramming in another surgery next week, and that means that for 4-6 weeks, I'm going to be completely drugged up on opioids while doing physical therapy and also trying to attempt my homework. Essentially a zombie.

So, with that said, I thought I'd place this on formal hiatus, since there hasn't been an update in a while. I'll try to get to Spooky though (it's a much simpler story) but we will see.

Thank you everyone who has followed my stuff and continues to read what I post - it means so, so much to me, and I love reading what others write too (even if I don't comment as often as I should on other stories. I know the good feel of getting an awesome comment.)

Thanks again, and good luck in all of your own endeavors!


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